The Book Thread

Storm island is a cracking read. (Ken Follett). The film of it was called "The eye of the needle". Great book, great film.

 

I've read this too. Also enjoyed it.

Rachel Hore is a similar style author. 'The Dream House' and 'The Glass Painter's Daughter' I thought were very good.

 

Iv'e just watched The Rum Diary. Hunter S Thompson was some guy, loved how his ashes were blown out a cannon ball.

 

Good thread ACS, and some people have some cracking tastes..

I used to read a lot of autobiographies, a few that have stuck in my mind.

Oliver Reed, Evil Spirits, good read.

Joe Calzaghe, No ordinary Joe, decent, but after reading it the man went way down in my estimation, with all the self pity.

Mick Foley, Have a nice day...why i was reading this, iv'e no idea, a WWF wrestler, but in all honestly after reading it, i'm glad i did, what a great read and an insight into the earlier days of the wrestling world.

But for a quick thriller read, there is an excellent British author named Stephen Leather, who has done several good books, my personal favourites being Private Dancer, but the best being Tunnel Rats.

 

Thanks mate.
Gotta say Mick Foley is one of my favourite wrestlers. When he was part of the 'rock and sock' connection, as Mankind it was part of the great golden age of the then WWF.
Gonna pop the book on my xmas list now as I've heard he was battered to bits and broke almost all bones in his body at some stage.

 

I've read the first three Foley books (Have a Nice Day, Foley is Good, and Hardcore Diaries) and they're all well worth a read.

As for others, I'd reccommend The Bone Collector by Jeffrey Deaver. It works well as a stand alone book but serves better as the first in the series.

 

You'll not regret it mate, i'm not even that much into the wrestling stuff, although i have watched it at times..

But his book goes far deeper, as to how he became a pro wrestler, from the early days in Japan where the ropes were barbed wire etc...I won't say to much, but as an autobiography it's up there for a life's story.

Now i wouldn't read another wrestlers one, as iv'e read his, much like i wouldn't read another boxing one after Calzaghe, nor football cos i find them rather boring, despite having a love for the game..

Maybe something different like a body builders, maybe the early days of Arnie doing Mr Olympia or something, that could be ok.

 

Yeah, the film wasn't bad. Not quite the same as the book, but they never are!!
He certainly was a character. It wasn't exactly a cannon ball that his ashes were blown out of, but not far off. It was a huge (150ft or something?) version of a gonzo fist (a symbol for his style of journalism), that was erected on his property, Owl Creek Farm. His ashes were put in the fist, which had a cannon on top and was then blown up while all his friends and family watched on. Johnny Depp financed it all.

Hunter had planned on this send off since the 1970's, which in itself, is pretty crazy.

 

Rep for the reccomendation

 

And I had you down as a Janet and John guy!

 

Not a fiction man, I have to say. That's why I got bored of my Archaeology and Ancient History degree pretty quickly, because everything ever written about these subjects is made up bullshit. I wish I could enjoy novels, but I just find it difficult to care about ficticious people because I'm a boring bastard. Ordinary individuals I can relate to are a different matter, though. One of my favourite autobiographies is Penguins Stopped Play: 11 Village Cricketers Take on the World. Well written, funny, interesting and emotional.

Overall, though, I much prefer philosophical liberation or understanding the latest Science buzzwords, so Hawking's A Brief History of Time etc and psychological explorations are more my scene. I am currently reading Thinking Fast and Slow by D.Kahneman. I've only scanned the first 25 or so pages on the bus this evening, but it's seemingly intellectually stimulating to sufficient degree to ignore DT's attempted conversations, so it's got potential. Basically it is about decision making processes, understanding our inherent biases and recognizing the brain's substitution of "expert" solutions (brought about by practice or genius in a specific field, producing a correct answer quickly) for "heuristic" solutions (whereby we are unable to decipher meaning from a question or challenge, and thus re-route the thought to another question or challenge which is easier and seemingly related, but not necessarily relevant to the original problem). These two principles essentially form "system 1", whereby you make a quick value judgement through either method (hence fast in the title). The more complex System 2 of breaking down the problem into logical components and evaluating the best possible answer requires more effort, is slower but inherently more rational. Human beings overestimate their rational logic, without understanding the processes which culminate their ultimate decisions, and without factoring in things like "luck".

Now, that is probably of very little interest to any but the perverted, but books like that and contemplation on these matters can be useful in understanding many things, like why a certain footballer or manager is successful.

 

He didnt come over as a chap who would plan anything.

I have read The Suspicions of Mr Whitcher and Birdsong but havent watched the films as I am usually dissapointed as they never stick to book.
The worse one being A Long Came a Spider, the film was a big let down.

 

That's my second favorite book closely followed by ' Topsy and Tim learn to swim '. However for the sheer terror factor ' Mr Tickle and his extraordinary long arms ' used to bring me out in a cold sweat. Which reminds me, I must take them back to the library as they're a week overdue...

 

When I get big I'm going to stop reading Andy Pandy books and read some real books.

52 RP now Jim, a bit closer to your age.

 

Hey..You couldn't beat the old Torchy the Battery Boy books..Them were the days..

 

With summer approaching (allegedly) here's a bump... and also this book is class.....

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and this.....

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Not me! I specialised in the Wars of the Roses at uni, did my dissertation on it. Not really found any decent fiction I could get into (the obsession with factual accuracy having been drilled into me since A-Level) however.

For those interested in WWII, (saw it mentioned extensively by someone earlier) The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer is really, really good. Written from the perspective of a German soldier on the Eastern Front. Was gripping to hear it from an Axis perspective.

John Grisham stuff is usually worth a look, though they are a little 'same-y' after a while.

Best book I've ever read though, hands down, no lie, is World War Z by Max Brooks. Absolutely genius in terms of format, storyline and immersion.

 

The last Nazi is a good thriller.

 

Game of Thrones is a great read but a little annoying that after 5 large books its still not finished and the author seems to have taken a bit of a break coming out with the next installment.