Beast Posted June 12, 2012 Posted June 12, 2012 (edited) I'm pretty sure there's a thread about reading or something but I can't find it so I've made this thread of books. Basically, it can be whether you want advice on what book to get, what book you're reading, to talk about a book and (and this is something I've been toying with reviving again) having our own book club or something, etc. So yeah, I wanted to find the thread because I want to know what book to get. See, I have a £5 from The Book People to spend and I only have until Saturday to spend it. I wanted Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris in exactly that edition (with the cast on the cover) as I have all of the other books in the same edition. However, just my luck, it's sold out. I want to find a book to get before my gift voucher expires but I can't think of anything to get. I like Stephen King, mysteries, thrillers and horrors, I love horrors (with zombies or serial killers or whatever). I want you, the awesome members of N-E, to find me a book. However, here's the catch: 1. It has to be from The Book People 2. It has to be £5 (or even £7.99) but no higher since I can get it cheaper at Asda 3. Preferably my choice would be horror so if you find any good horrors on there, let me know. So have you read any good books you'd recommend? Any good books you're reading? Found any bargains? Post them on here. Edited June 12, 2012 by Animal
drahkon Posted June 12, 2012 Posted June 12, 2012 The End of Mr. Y It's not horror, and not exactly a thriller, but I highly suggest it. Scarlett Thomas bends reality, time and life itself. This book fucked my mind. I'm going to read it again soon. Only from The Book People? It doesn't have The Pilo Family Circus by Will Elliot. One guy gets into trouble with sadistic clowns and finds himself struggling with life at a pretty crazy circus.
Beast Posted June 13, 2012 Author Posted June 13, 2012 The End of Mr. Y It's not horror, and not exactly a thriller, but I highly suggest it. Scarlett Thomas bends reality, time and life itself. This book fucked my mind. I'm going to read it again soon. Only from The Book People? It doesn't have The Pilo Family Circus by Will Elliot. One guy gets into trouble with sadistic clowns and finds himself struggling with life at a pretty crazy circus. Those two sound interesting, I'll put Mr. Y under consideration! The Pilp Family Circus sounds like my kind of book, haha. I'll have to try and find that somewhere. Is it just a book or a series?
drahkon Posted June 13, 2012 Posted June 13, 2012 The Pilp Family Circus sounds like my kind of book, haha. I'll have to try and find that somewhere. Is it just a book or a series? Just one book. It's actually some kind of fantasy (not the elves, dragons, dwarves fantasy) mixed with dark humour and brutality. If you consider giving The End of Mr Y a chance and in the end like it, I suggest you get more of Scarlett Thomas' novels. PopCo and Our Tragic Universe deal with very great themes: Thought experiments, life itself, death, the universe, relationships, riddles. She has a talent to make readers think differently about these topics.
Cube Posted June 13, 2012 Posted June 13, 2012 I'm currently reading Micro and it's a really good book. I've also read Pirate Lattitudes and it's brilliant. I've actually been looking for a new author, as Micro is Michael Crichton's last book (and had to be finished by another writer). I haven't found anyone with the same style - a mix of great fiction, scientific theories, scientific facts and completely made up science.
bob Posted June 13, 2012 Posted June 13, 2012 i can't really suggest any horror/mystery/thriller books since i don't read any. I'm more into fantasy and suchlike. If that doesn't float your boat at all, then disregard this post. I would definately recommend this book by Brandon Sanderson - The Final Empire. It's the first part of a trilogy, and it's awesome. Full of twists and turns and some humour.
Paj! Posted June 13, 2012 Posted June 13, 2012 I'm rereading Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon, which doesn't really count, but will shortly start the blahblahblahprize-winning Just Kids by Patti Smith.
Daft Posted June 13, 2012 Posted June 13, 2012 I'm reading The Iliad. Don't ask me why. Also, American Gods and a book about the Battle of Thermopylae. Might stop reading American Gods because I'm spread way too thin at the moment. I've got no more recommendations beyond that list I made for you ages ago, where ever that may be.
The Bard Posted June 13, 2012 Posted June 13, 2012 Currently reading: Generation X - Douglas Coupland, In The First Circle - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Which is very well written and humourous, but it's so densely packed with characters that it's almost impossible to keep track of them all), Just read through the second book of Paradise Lost, some of which is lost on me, since I don't really have the patience to look up all the various references to Greek and Biblical mythology, numerous as they are. Reading Jonah Lehrer's How We Decide again, just as a precursor to picking up his new book on the neuroscience of creativity, Imagine Oh yeah, and just finished JLA: Tower of Babel. Was quite good as far as superhero comics tend to go.
Jav_NE Posted June 13, 2012 Posted June 13, 2012 I've just been sucked into the dystopian world fad after reading the Hunger Games, so i picked up some recommended books the other day to fill the void. I havn't started them yet, but they sound good. Divergent by Veronica Roth is supposed to be brilliant, and likewise is the Knife Of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. Obviously they are not horrors, and i am wary they are flagged as kids books that adults will enjoy, but hey, i am looking forward to reading them, and they are both the first books in trilogies i think, so if they are good i will be set for a good few weeks.
Beast Posted June 13, 2012 Author Posted June 13, 2012 I'm reading The Iliad. Don't ask me why. Also, American Gods and a book about the Battle of Thermopylae. Might stop reading American Gods because I'm spread way too thin at the moment. I've got no more recommendations beyond that list I made for you ages ago, where ever that may be. That list is here: J.D. Salinger - Catcher in the Rye Norman Lewis - Naples 44' Bret Easton Ellis - American Psycho, Less than Zero (He wrote this when he was 19, think about that.) George MacDonald Fraser - Quartered Safe Out Here Joseph Heller - Catch 22 Frank Herbert - Dune (Don't bother with any of his other books, this one is seminal though.) Mikhail Bulgakov - The Master and Margarita Stefen Zweig - Chess F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby William Golding - Lord of the Flies (I think everyone's read this.) George Orwell - Homage to Catalonia Hunter S Thompson - ANYTHING HE'S WRITTEN (Hells Angels) Alan Moore and David Gibbson - Watchmen (No joke) Art Spiegelman - Maus (Another stunning graphic novel.) Nikolai Gogol - Diary of a Madman Richard Matherson - I Am Legend (Please don't let the abysmal film put you off. This book is a beautiful study of isolation and hope.) Joseph Conrad - Heart of Darkness (I am not a fan, it's like wading through treacle. It's definitely an experience.) ...I'm going to probably get one of these. I thought of getting To Kill A Mockingbird but I've read it before.
Aneres11 Posted June 13, 2012 Posted June 13, 2012 Anything by Linwood Barclay. Seriously. This in particular: Once you pick it up - you wont put it down. All of his books follow a similar style but they are such easy reads.
Beast Posted June 13, 2012 Author Posted June 13, 2012 Okay, I've read through them all and I thank everybody for their suggestions (and I hope you will still continue suggesting as I'm always on the look-out for books) but this is the book I need to read! Anything by Linwood Barclay. Seriously. This in particular: Once you pick it up - you wont put it down. All of his books follow a similar style but they are such easy reads. This sounds seriously interesting! I'm going to look out for that one!
Aneres11 Posted June 13, 2012 Posted June 13, 2012 Yeah you should definitely give it a go at some point. Even people who aren't big on reading have read this and enjoyed it! All his stuff is great!
Ashley Posted June 13, 2012 Posted June 13, 2012 Recently finished this: There's a reason for the change of pace. Was interesting though to read something I wouldn't normally. Need to decide what to read when I go home in a few weeks (as I tend to read most on journeys). Thinking Kafka.
Beast Posted June 13, 2012 Author Posted June 13, 2012 Anything by Linwood Barclay. Seriously. This in particular: Once you pick it up - you wont put it down. All of his books follow a similar style but they are such easy reads. Here you go Aneres, just found this that might interest you: Linwood Barclay collection
Ganepark32 Posted June 13, 2012 Posted June 13, 2012 Reading Jonah Lehrer's How We Decide again, just as a precursor to picking up his new book on the neuroscience of creativity, Imagine Been meaning to give How We Decide a read as I was studying decision making this last year at uni and thought it'd be helpful but I never got round to it. Going to see about getting a hold of a copy and read it over the summer with the hope it's actually more interesting than what I had to sit through in lectures. Erm.... yeah haven't done much in the way of reading myself for a long time. Wouldn't mind a thriller of some kind to read but no idea where to start. Something with plenty of intrigue, good characters (character development would be a nice bonus as I feel that helps me enjoy the story more). That kind of thing, or something that carries a similar structure to say Dracula in that diary style but from the points of view of different characters leading up to a contretemps or big climax, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated seeing as I now have plenty of time on my hands with uni being over and no sight of anyone willing to offer me a PhD position yet.
The Bard Posted June 13, 2012 Posted June 13, 2012 How we Decide is a fantastic book. Starts by debunking longstanding philosophical attitudes towards the "rationality/emotionality" dichotomy, complicating it, and instead showing, through really interesting anecdotes as divergent as the Gulf War and American football for example, that humans are largely intuitive beings. It's fairly informative about the anatomy too, which would probably be more familiar to you than it is to me; a lot about the orbitofrontal cortex's function in decision making, the relationship between the dorsolateral pfc and the anterior cingulate cortex etc. Love his writing, would highly recommend.
Beast Posted June 14, 2012 Author Posted June 14, 2012 So I ordered American Psycho today. Quite excited to read it now. I'll get cracking on it after I read the rest of the Hunger Games and tell you guys how it was.
Aneres11 Posted June 15, 2012 Posted June 15, 2012 Here you go Aneres, just found this that might interest you: Linwood Barclay collection Already own them all on my Kindle But thanks Dazz!! : peace:
Beast Posted June 23, 2012 Author Posted June 23, 2012 I saw that Aneres has bought Fifty Shades of Grey on the 'What Have You Bought?' thread and I was wondering if anybody else has read/bought it and if so, what did they think?
Ashley Posted June 23, 2012 Posted June 23, 2012 Not read it myself but I hear the reviews of it on Amazon are a better read than the actual book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B007L3BMGA
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