*What book are you reading? (part 2)

[RedDragon]

restarted The Golden Notebook

 

[Dexter Deadwood]

Lionel Asbo - Martin Amis.

 

[ringo]

A good read but way too long (two books really)
Whoever was responsible for not editing ought to be put to the sword. I've had my fill of Westeros for now.

Dottie's right on this, I said the same after ASOS and then again after ADWD, and I want the next one published already

Anyone know when that might be?

 

[Orang Utan]

Lionel Asbo - Martin Amis.

That book disgusted me so much that I chucked it across the room a chapter in and never returned to it.
Amis is a massive prick who needs to be made to live on the breadline for a decade before he is allowed to write any more books.

 

[Dexter Deadwood]

That book disgusted me so much that I chucked it across the room a chapter in and never returned to it.
Amis is a massive prick who needs to be made to live on the breadline for a decade before he is allowed to write any more books.

I'm really angry with it as well. Style and content. The structure is wrong as if he wrote it steeped in drink, almost a piss take offering to his publishing house.
His hatred of the working class is clear, his anger equally so. He is sticking two fingers up at all of us.

I'm 20% through a ripped Kindle copy so at least he never got my money. I'm going to stick with it, i wanted something London and contemporary and that's what swayed me.

 

[sojourner]

restarted The Golden Notebook

I just checked my library's stock - 2 fucking Doris Lessing books. TWO. Shoddy fucking pile of shitting bollocks the library service is shite

 

[Dexter Deadwood]

Lionel Asbo - Martin Amis.

Finished it. It was shit, almost unreadable. Give it a miss.

 

[Dillinger4]

Bought these recently and have been reading them:

James Jesus Angleton, the CIA, and the Craft of Counterintelligence - Michael Holzman
24/7: Terminal Capitalism and the Ends of Sleep - Jonathan Crary
Chaos: Making a New Science - James Gleick
Comments on the Society of the Spectacle - Guy Debord
Children of Albion: Poetry of the Underground in Britain - Michael Horovitz
Seven Types of Ambiguity - William Empson

The book about James Angleton is the standout one. It is one of the best books I have read for a long time.

Books I am going to buy soon:

Poems by JH Prynne
The Roman Revolution by Ronald Syme
Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA
The Pike: Gabriele D'Annunzio, Poet, Seducer and Preacher of War by Lucy Hughes-Hallett

 

[Dexter Deadwood]

Picked up 'Stoner' by John Williams in the airport lounge last week since I finished the Mantel book I'd been reading. It's full of "the best book you've never read" style quotes by famous authors - and it's actually pretty good, found myself really feeling for the character as he drifts through life.

Just started this, could be a gem.

 

[Frances Lengel]

Mini and Me. What a guy. Recommended.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mini-Me-Michael-Cooper/dp/1908628065

 

[sojourner]

Finished 'Empire of the Sun' by JG Ballard yesterday. An absolutely fucking amazing book. I've never read anything quite like it. I've learned an enormous amount, and given what he writes about, it's executed beautifully. So poetic. And now I know exactly where 'The Unlimited Dream Company' came from. I'm so glad I read 'Empire' so soon after it - I could actually spot the exact sources for the later story. Wow

So - have started 'Stalin Ate My Homework' now, by Alexei Sayle. So far, so funny. Cracked up about the shelf on the bed's headboard

 

[rubbershoes]

Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan

It's good but it's not Saturday

 

[ringo]

Stoner - John Williams

Keep seeing this mentioned as a rediscovered classic; pretty good so far but not sure it'll live up to the hype.

 

[Dillinger4]

I am pretty interested to see what you all think of Stoner.

 

[Dillinger4]

Finished 'Empire of the Sun' by JG Ballard yesterday. An absolutely fucking amazing book. I've never read anything quite like it. I've learned an enormous amount, and given what he writes about, it's executed beautifully. So poetic. And now I know exactly where 'The Unlimited Dream Company' came from. I'm so glad I read 'Empire' so soon after it - I could actually spot the exact sources for the later story. Wow

So - have started 'Stalin Ate My Homework' now, by Alexei Sayle. So far, so funny. Cracked up about the shelf on the bed's headboard

Ballard

 

[yield]

Just reread Vurt and Pollen by Jeff Noon. The first time was in the late nineties and they are as good as I remember.

I amazed at how much I'd forgotten. Manchesters own Lewis Carroll beautiful, wonderful and absurd.

Moved on now to Wool by Hugh Howey that my friends husband bought me for Xmas. Interesting dystopia. See how it turns out.

 

[xenon]

The Trial, Frans Kafka.

 

[jeff_leigh]

Perdido Street Station - China Miéville

 

[Orang Utan]

I hope you enjoy it - I loved it!

 

[jeff_leigh]

Orang Utan Thanks

 

[little_legs]

I am half way through My Struggle vol. 1 by Karl Ove Knausgaard. When I started it, I thought it was a memoir about the struggles, relationships and infatuations of a young man. But, my goodness, it’s about so much more. Now that I am about to finish vol. 1, I can’t help thinking that maybe it’s about how we interpret memories, how we store them, how smells and sounds trigger memories and emotions. Or maybe it’s about how we construct memories, or how we think about things we think we remember, or how we choose to recount memories.

The funny thing is that Knausgaard does not tell you anything particularly shocking about his life, he also has a peculiar style (maybe it’s the Scandinavian style I am unfamiliar with), he digresses a bit, and he clearly could not have remembered everything he wrote about. But that’s ok because it’s a fascinating account of human existence and bewilderment with life in general. I've never read anything like it, it’s incredible.

Also, well done to Don Bartlett who translated the book.

 

[Orang Utan]

My mum seems to have become obsessed with Tove Jansson and all of her writings. Unlike most writers, she seems to have actually led a good wholesome life and all who knew her loved her. Which leads me to ask two questions.
Where do I start with her? The Moomins or her grown up stuff? Never read a word of hers.
Also, who else is that well-loved as a writer? Many great (male) writers are almost celebrated for being bastards.

 

[Strumpet]

Got several autobiogs for Chrimble so will be reading them soon. Nile Rogers, Jennifer Saunders and Simon Pegg.

 

[TruXta]

Re-started Master and Margarita, made it a couple of chapters in. It's really good so far. As sojourner will be pleased to learn.

 

[Wilf]

That book disgusted me so much that I chucked it across the room a chapter in and never returned to it.
Amis is a massive prick who needs to be made to live on the breadline for a decade before he is allowed to write any more books.

I read London Fields years ago and got the same, anti-working class, nasty racial stuff - along with a general misanthropy. It's amusing to think he had a chattering class reputation at one time for being some sort of lefty/liberal.

 

[fractionMan]

Twilight watch. Fun but not nearly as good as the other two.

 

[fractionMan]

I'm also reading 253, here: http://www.ryman-novel.com/

 

[Frances Lengel]

Just finished The Doll Princess by Tom Benn

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-e...ws/the-doll-princess-by-tom-benn-6293957.html

Which was entertaining enough but IMO, no nowadays writer does justice to Manchester except Mike Duff

http://www.undertheboardwalk.net/pdfs/shade and honey.pdf

Still got Mini and Me on the go as well. That'll last a long time coz the writing's really small and it's a thick book. I hope it works out for him though.

Then got No Place To Call Home by Katherine Quarmby next to come

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/aug/26/no-place-home-quarmby-review

So things are pretty good on the books front.

 

[colbhoy]

Just started Laidlaw by William McIlvanney.

Also dipping into Ring Around the Bases, Complete Short Story Collection by Ring Lardner.

 

[DotCommunist]

Edge of Infinity

another sci fi anthology, this years best and brightest shorts and novellas. Quite good so far, although the Elizabeth Bear story is a phoned in bum note