Goodreads Reading Challenge/General Bookery

[Liam]

On 09/09/2018 at 22:12, VerbalPuke said:

I wasn’t aware of it being banned, interesting. 

It was in the the UK. There was a campaign against the banning and it was unbanned a year later.

[GhostMachine]

Heidi just won a Gordon Ramsay cookbook from the giveaways. It's a win for both of us, as I couldn't enter do to it being a no p.o. boxes giveaway. But get this: Only 10 copies given away, and over 20,000 people entered.  

[VerbalPuke]

So I’m about half through Last Exit to Brooklyn. I enjoy it, but it is dark, damn.

[Skummy]

I just finished reading Jaron Lanier's (not a Game of Thrones character) Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now.


I normally wouldn't bother with anything that seemed so faddy, or had the feel of a self-help book, but I read an interview with Lanier recently on a similar topic and found it fascinating. I don't think the book really lives up to that.

It makes a lot of grandiose statements, but then tends to be too glib, or comes up with inane examples, so never really puts across the significance of what he's arguing. It seems in places like it's intended as a primer, and that he would rather you go out and read all the referenced books and articles - which is fine, but left me feeling unsatisfied.

He writes about how social media is destroying empathy, and I could have gladly read an entire book on that topic, but he sprints through most of it in a couple of pages. I thought that was a shame.


I've now started Dave Novak's Japanoise - a potted history of the Japanese noise music scene - though, judging from the introduction, it could be quite heavy going. It's a lot drier and more academic in tone than I was expecting. Which is no bad thing, just not what I thought I was getting.

[FLiam]

So, I have a flight to the States on Wednesday, then a return flight the following week.

I need book suggestions for said flights. Come at me EWB.

[Malenko]

The Mammoth Book of Air Disasters and Near Misses by Paul Simpson.

 

 

I'm sorry.

[Jimmy]

4 hours ago, Liam Mk2 said:

So, I have a flight to the States on Wednesday, then a return flight the following week.

I need book suggestions for said flights. Come at me EWB.

A Natural by Ross Raisin is something I think you'd enjoy if you haven't read it already.

[Liam]

On 22/10/2018 at 10:37, Liam Mk2 said:

So, I have a flight to the States on Wednesday, then a return flight the following week.

I need book suggestions for said flights. Come at me EWB.

I'm gutted I missed this - could have given you some decent shouts for the journey over.

As for now you are there and for the return journey back: do you have a Kindle or something along those lines? Can suggest some stuff to you.

[FLiam]

6 hours ago, Liam said:

I'm gutted I missed this - could have given you some decent shouts for the journey over.

As for now you are there and for the return journey back: do you have a Kindle or something along those lines? Can suggest some stuff to you.

I’ve got my Kindle with me, yeah.

I’m pretty much open to all sorts really. I continued reading Sapiens on the way over. Six months and only about half way through...

[VerbalPuke]

My bedtime book is now Peoples History of the United States by Howard Zinn. It’s really fascinating so far and I’m only at page 26. It’s a real....paige turner.

[Liam]

On 27/10/2018 at 01:24, Liam Mk2 said:

I’ve got my Kindle with me, yeah.

I’m pretty much open to all sorts really. I continued reading Sapiens on the way over. Six months and only about half way through...

I'm going to just throw out some random stuff for you:

Old Man's War by John Scalzi is a pretty easy reading Sci-Fi novel about a guy who signs up for an intergalactic army at the age of 60 odd. Pacey, enjoyable.

Forever Young: The Story of Adrian Doherty by Oliver Kay is a book about a footballer who was around as Giggs, Scholes et al came through at Man United. A sad tale of  how things don't always work out how you want them to.

A Man's World: The Double Life of Emile Griffith by Donald McRae is about Griffith, a boxer who was also a homosexual in the 50s (and killed a guy in the ring). Even if you don't like boxing, McRae is a great writer.

His Bloody Project by Graeme McRae Burnett is an interesting fiction story about the case of a murder. Was shortlisted for the Booker a couple of years back.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is a book about the world after an apocalypse, as a band of actors travel around doing Shakespeare plays. Good book.

One Summer, America 1927 by Bill Bryson focuses on a year in American history, with one of the key things being the attempts to fly across the ocean. Interesting and an easy read.

I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes is just a really good crime thriller.

A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke by Ronald Reng is a really interesting story about the life and death of Enke. Essential reading for football fans.

We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson is a really dark tale about the lives of a rather odd family. Brilliantly dark.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a brutal tale of a post-apocalyptic world.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes is told in the form of a diary from the point of view of a simple man who is about to have an experiment trialed on himto make him intelligent  - easy read, but deep ideas.

I could add more, but there are some.

[FLiam]

1 hour ago, Liam said:

I'm going to just throw out some random stuff for you:

Old Man's War by John Scalzi is a pretty easy reading Sci-Fi novel about a guy who signs up for an intergalactic army at the age of 60 odd. Pacey, enjoyable.

Forever Young: The Story of Adrian Doherty by Oliver Kay is a book about a footballer who was around as Giggs, Scholes et al came through at Man United. A sad tale of  how things don't always work out how you want them to.

A Man's World: The Double Life of Emile Griffith by Donald McRae is about Griffith, a boxer who was also a homosexual in the 50s (and killed a guy in the ring). Even if you don't like boxing, McRae is a great writer.

His Bloody Project by Graeme McRae Burnett is an interesting fiction story about the case of a murder. Was shortlisted for the Booker a couple of years back.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is a book about the world after an apocalypse, as a band of actors travel around doing Shakespeare plays. Good book.

One Summer, America 1927 by Bill Bryson focuses on a year in American history, with one of the key things being the attempts to fly across the ocean. Interesting and an easy read.

I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes is just a really good crime thriller.

A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke by Ronald Reng is a really interesting story about the life and death of Enke. Essential reading for football fans.

We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson is a really dark tale about the lives of a rather odd family. Brilliantly dark.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a brutal tale of a post-apocalyptic world.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes is told in the form of a diary from the point of view of a simple man who is about to have an experiment trialed on himto make him intelligent  - easy read, but deep ideas.

I could add more, but there are some.

I’ll check some of these out, thanks. Station Eleven sounds particularly interesting.

Have read Flowers for Algernon a few times, it’s fantastic. 

[Liam]

1 hour ago, Liam Mk2 said:

I’ll check some of these out, thanks. Station Eleven sounds particularly interesting.

Have read Flowers for Algernon a few times, it’s fantastic. 

Station Eleven got a lot of love when it was first released. Well written, interesting enough concept.

If you haven't read the sport ones, I'd definitely suggest grabbing the Forever Young one, if not also the Double Life one if you don't mind reading a bit about boxing.

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

I finished my first book in forever the other day, The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer. Good read if you're into stuff like The DaVinci Code which plays into Bible myths and legend.

My girlfriend has let me borrow The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton which I'm keen to read. The cover enticed me in the shop so she bought it and said it was excellent.

What's everyone else reading at the moment? Any books you're looking at picking up?

[Liam]

On 11/11/2018 at 14:59, Jericruise said:

I finished my first book in forever the other day, The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer. Good read if you're into stuff like The DaVinci Code which plays into Bible myths and legend.

My girlfriend has let me borrow The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton which I'm keen to read. The cover enticed me in the shop so she bought it and said it was excellent.

What's everyone else reading at the moment? Any books you're looking at picking up?

I'm reading Danny Baker's first autobiography. Guy tells a good story and it is well worth a read.

Also, 'Wonder'. Primarily because it is a book that was kicking around with a lot of my students in the past couple of years, and was cheap on Kindle.

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

Seven Deaths was actually really really good, would recommend it.

[apsham]

I'm not going to finish the challenge I laid out this year, but I accepted that a while back. I'm going to set the same one this year and really buckle down in trying to finish it.

On that note, I have to read something else so that my last entry isn't Ready Player One - holy crap, that was an insufferable book.

[GhostMachine]

i'm one book away from finishing my challenge. I can knock that out easy, if I can find the time.  My goal last year was 25 at first, then upped to 30. This year's? 20.

The book I've had listed as currently reading...for about a month...will not be the book that finishes my goal. I gave up on it about 30 pages in, and haven't felt like going back yet, though I do intend to read the entire book eventually. Not in the mood for the subject matter. I've got an 80-something page short story (part of Heather Graham's Cafferty & Quinn series) that I plan to read asap, but I feel listing that as my final book would be cheating.

Heidi is 2 books short of finishing hers, and she set her challenge at less than half of what last year's was. And she went about 10 to 15 books over that goal. 

In other words, we've both been way too busy to read this year.

[Liam]

On 21/12/2018 at 18:35, apsham said:

I'm not going to finish the challenge I laid out this year, but I accepted that a while back. I'm going to set the same one this year and really buckle down in trying to finish it.

On that note, I have to read something else so that my last entry isn't Ready Player One - holy crap, that was an insufferable book.

Still better than Armada.

I will have read 102 books by close of play today. I'm hoping that will also equate to 30,000 pages according to Goodreads.

[VerbalPuke]

On 31/10/2018 at 14:20, Liam said:

I'm going to just throw out some random stuff for you:

Old Man's War by John Scalzi is a pretty easy reading Sci-Fi novel about a guy who signs up for an intergalactic army at the age of 60 odd. Pacey, enjoyable.

Forever Young: The Story of Adrian Doherty by Oliver Kay is a book about a footballer who was around as Giggs, Scholes et al came through at Man United. A sad tale of  how things don't always work out how you want them to.

A Man's World: The Double Life of Emile Griffith by Donald McRae is about Griffith, a boxer who was also a homosexual in the 50s (and killed a guy in the ring). Even if you don't like boxing, McRae is a great writer.

His Bloody Project by Graeme McRae Burnett is an interesting fiction story about the case of a murder. Was shortlisted for the Booker a couple of years back.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is a book about the world after an apocalypse, as a band of actors travel around doing Shakespeare plays. Good book.

One Summer, America 1927 by Bill Bryson focuses on a year in American history, with one of the key things being the attempts to fly across the ocean. Interesting and an easy read.

I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes is just a really good crime thriller.

A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke by Ronald Reng is a really interesting story about the life and death of Enke. Essential reading for football fans.

We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson is a really dark tale about the lives of a rather odd family. Brilliantly dark.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a brutal tale of a post-apocalyptic world.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes is told in the form of a diary from the point of view of a simple man who is about to have an experiment trialed on himto make him intelligent  - easy read, but deep ideas.

I could add more, but there are some.

The Road was really good. I almost forgot I read that until you brought it up. 

I definitely fell short of my goal of ten. I got five (one was the Indian in the Cupboard which I read to my boys). I am currently making good progress on a Scanner Darkly and I have atleast read somewhat consistently this year.

 There are books I want but I have a lot I need to get through so I’m not going to buy any.