pontalba Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 No, I haven't seen it, Devi. Not that familiar with any, or most of the authors. A friend of mine used to read the Harry Turtledove books. Alternative history to do with WWII, I believe. It does look interesting............... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 So, I should give him another go then ? BTW, has anyone read anything from Siri Hustvedt ? I like the look of this one. Eventually, yes. Siri Hustvedt.....yes, I've read at least one of hers......consulting the shelves.......... I've read two of them. A Plea For Eros and The Blindfold. I only have one review of The Blindfold, and it is only a 1/5 Here is the review at post # 15. http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/1765-pontalbas-books-read-2008/?hl=%2Bsiri+%2Bhustvedt I did rate the first one a 3/5, although no review. I have the one you mention on the shelf, to be read. I think she is an author that grows on a reader, and I'll go back to reread the two above sometime, I'm sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Sci-Fi/Fantasy readers, anyone seen this book? I don't recognise half the authors. Any of them worth the look? http://www.amazon.com.au/Years-Science-Fiction-Fantasy-Edition-ebook/dp/B00KRGW89I/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1407146569&sr=1-1 I've a couple of books by K.J Parker on my wishlist, but I haven't read anything by her, and I've never heard of the others! But, it seems like a good buy - you might discover a few decent authors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karen.d Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Sci-Fi/Fantasy readers, anyone seen this book? I don't recognise half the authors. Any of them worth the look? http://www.amazon.com.au/Years-Science-Fiction-Fantasy-Edition-ebook/dp/B00KRGW89I/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1407146569&sr=1-1 No I've never heard of any of these authors.....which is not much help I know. However, if you decide to read any of these books, I'd be interested to hear what you think of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted August 5, 2014 Author Share Posted August 5, 2014 Hmm, well I might still grab it eventually but I want to wait for more reviews. I thought perhaps most were new authors, and thats why I hadn't heard of any before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 I've not read any of them. Looking inside the book, there's a story by Lavie Tidhar, who wrote The Violent Century, which Laura read a few weeks ago and enjoyed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 I've not read any of them. Looking inside the book, there's a story by Lavie Tidhar, who wrote The Violent Century, which Laura read a few weeks ago and enjoyed Oh, I didn't see that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 (edited) Eventually, yes. Siri Hustvedt.....yes, I've read at least one of hers......consulting the shelves.......... I've read two of them. A Plea For Eros and The Blindfold. I only have one review of The Blindfold, and it is only a 1/5 Here is the review at post # 15. http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/1765-pontalbas-books-read-2008/?hl=%2Bsiri+%2Bhustvedt I did rate the first one a 3/5, although no review. I have the one you mention on the shelf, to be read. I think she is an author that grows on a reader, and I'll go back to reread the two above sometime, I'm sure. Thanks Kate. I can wait for your review before dipping my toe into her work. Edited August 5, 2014 by Little Pixie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 I haven't read anything by the authors but have heard of a few. EDIT: Sorry, that doesn't really help you, does it ? I haven`t heard of any of the authors, so I`m even less help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted August 6, 2014 Author Share Posted August 6, 2014 (edited) Carry a Big Stick - Tim FergusonSynopsis from Goodreads:The frank and fearless story of a man fighting MS with comedy.Tim Ferguson was a star of the international comedy circuit. Along with Paul McDermott and Richard Fidler he was part of the edgy, provocative and very funny Doug Anthony All Stars (DAAS). In 1994 they were at the height of their powers, performing in a season at the Criterion Theatre on Piccadilly Circus. The three mates, who began busking on the streets of Canberra a decade earlier, had achieved their ambition to become the self-styled rock stars of comedy.Then, all of a sudden, he woke up one morning and his whole left side wouldn't work. He'd had a lurking suspicion that something was wrong and after more episodes he went to a doctor thinking he'd be told to change his diet and get more sleep. It wasn't so simple. An eventual diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) meant an end to the frenetic, high-energy life he was living.Carry a Big Stick is a chance for Tim to tell his story. He wants to make people laugh but also give inspiration to all the people doing it hard. A lot of people keep MS to themselves because it's invisible. In Tim's case, he has the stick. 'It's such a visible sign that something's happened; it's just easier if people know.'Carry a Big Stick meanders through Tim's life, and explains how the boy who went to nine schools in 13 years got used to saying, 'Hi, I'm the new kid'. It will detail his ambitions to become an actor and how the Doug Anthony Allstars were born and went on to become what Rolling Stone called 'The 3 amigos from hell'. Diagnosis changed a lot of things but Tim s quick wit and sense of humour weren t affected. This inspiring memoir shows us that you can laugh in the face of adversity.I met Tim Ferguson once when I was younger, back when there was a show called Don't forget your toothbrush. He is a pretty decent fellow. Then when I saw he wrote a biography and had MS, I just had to read it. I got it given to me at christmas and I finally got around to reading it in the last two days. He and I actually have a little in common with a few things, which made it very easy for me to relate to his book. He moved lots when he was growing up, lost a younger brother to an illness, and lost his father to cancer who was around the same age as my dad. His neurologist also told him almost word for word what my neurologist told me, I had actually thought we had the same one till I read the doctors name.Doctor: "You need to stop whatever it is you are doing. You need rest, a prolonged period of rest."Tim: "Things are busy right now, doctor."Doctor: "Things are always busy. That has to stop. Not forever, but you wont be able to continue as you have. Do you understand?"Doctor: "You will need a new life plan."Its that last sentence that has always stuck with me. One I found harder to come to terms with rather than my MS diagnosis. The middle of the book was pretty rinse and repeat, granted it was all about his career but it felt like to me he was just going over the same stuff. It wasn't till I was 200 pages in that he start talking about his MS, which was one of my main reasons for wanting to read the book in the first place. A fair few reviews claimed it was a laugh out loud book, but it barely got a giggle out of me. That could of just been due to me suffering fatigue of late. Usually during these periods its hard for me to do much. Good book otherwise.3/5 Edited August 6, 2014 by Devi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 Great review, Devi ! I met Tim Ferguson once when I was younger, back when there was a show called Don't forget your toothbrush. He is a pretty decent fellow. Then when I saw he wrote a biography and had MS, I just had to read it. I got it given to me at christmas and I finally got around to reading it in the last two days. I'm just curious, we had a show called that too in Dutch. I just looked it up, I had no idea the Dutch one was an adaptation! I watched it a lot when I was a child. Interesting . Its that last sentence that has always stuck with me. One I found harder to come to terms with rather than my MS diagnosis. I can understand this. I'm struggling with it myself. I'm glad you enjoyed the book though it's a shame there wasn't more on MS in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted August 6, 2014 Author Share Posted August 6, 2014 The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band - Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Neil Strauss (Editor), Mick Mars, Tommy Lee Synopsis:Whiskey and porn stars, hot reds and car crashes, black leather and high heels, overdoses and death. This is the life of Mötley Crüe, the heaviest drinking, hardest fighting, most oversexed and arrogant band in the world. Their unbelievable exploits are the stuff of rock 'n' roll legend. They nailed the hottest chicks, started the bloodiest fights, partied with the biggest drug dealers, and got to know the inside of every jail cell from California to Japan. They have dedicated an entire career to living life to its extreme, from the greatest fantasies to the darkest tragedies. Tommy married two international sex symbols; Vince killed a man and lost a daughter to cancer; Nikki overdosed, rose from the dead, and then OD'd again the next day; and Mick shot a woman and tried to hang his own brother. But that's just the beginning. Fueled by every drug they could get their hands on and obscene amounts of alcohol, driven by fury and headed straight for hell, Mötley Crüe raged through two decades, leaving behind a trail of debauched women, trashed hotel rooms, crashed cars, psychotic managers, and broken bones that has left the music industry cringing to this day. All these unspeakable acts, not to mention their dire consequences, are laid bare in The Dirt.Here -- directly from Nikki, Vince, Tommy, and Mick -- is the unexpurgated version of the whole glorious, gut-wrenching story. In these pages, published for the first time anywhere, are Tommy Lee's letters to Pamela Anderson from prison: Mick's confession to having an incurable disease that is slowly killing him; Vince's experience burying his own daughter -- and the train wreck that his life became afterward; and Nikki's anguished struggle to deal with an entire life fueled by anger over his childhood abandonment, his discovery of the family he never knew he had -- and his subsequent loss of them. And all of it accompanied by scores of rare, never-before-published photographs, mug shots, and handwritten lyrics. No one is spared. Not David Lee Roth, Ozzy Osbourne, Vanity, Aerosmith, Heather Locklear, AC/DC, Lita Ford, Iron Maiden, Pamela Anderson, Guns N' Roses, Donna D'Errico, RATT, or those two girls from Dallas, Texas.Make no mistake about it: these guys are geniuses. They invented glam metal and then left it in the dust; sold more than forty million albums from Shout at the Devil to Dr. Feelgood; toured the world dozen times and have the scars to prove it it; and maintained a rabid following in an era of throwaway pop stars. Mötley Crüe has done nothing less than tattoo the psyche of the entire MTV generation. They are the ultimate rock 'n' roll band. And if you don't believe it, read The Dirt. You don't know what decadence is...Wow, what a wild ride this book was. How any of the band members are still alive after half the stuff they did is beyond me. I grew up to motley crews music thanks to my mum and dad, and they have been a favourite band of mine for as long as I can remember. I got told this is by far the best biography of the band ever written, and after finishing it I can see why. Definitely not for the faint of heart, some pretty disturbing stuff in it. A few comments stuck with me, especially the following made by Vince. i can relate somewhat."When your body starts to fall apart, there's no one who can fix the machine. They can only keep it running for a little while longer." Definitely one of my top reads of this year, I have another biography of motley crue to read, but this one is by Vince himself. 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted August 6, 2014 Author Share Posted August 6, 2014 Great review, Devi ! I'm just curious, we had a show called that too in Dutch. I just looked it up, I had no idea the Dutch one was an adaptation! I watched it a lot when I was a child. Interesting . That is very cool! I was wondering if anyone had heard of the show or whether there were adaptions of it overseas. I can understand this. I'm struggling with it myself. :hug:I'm glad you enjoyed the book though it's a shame there wasn't more on MS in it. Yeah its not easy is it. I know lifes not meant to be all roses, but I feel some people get more thorns than flowers in their bunch. Just the way it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 Carry a Big Stick - Tim FergusonThat could of just been due to me suffering fatigue of late. Usually during these periods its hard for me to do much. My best friend with MS is reading this book. She just went through a bad bout, I think it was because the weather was above 100. But she doesn't go out much anymore and has an air conditioner. She also loves comedy and Michael J. Fox's books, even though he has Parkinson's, she finds his struggle similar to hers. *hugs, Devi* I've never poked into your thread, but I hope you don't mind. I hope your fatigue gets less, I know it never fully goes away. Yeah its not easy is it. I know lifes not meant to be all roses, but I feel some people get more thorns than flowers in their bunch. Just the way it goes. This is pretty much the way my friend feels, but with anger, I don't think that will ever go away fully either. I wish I had some roses to send, I'd cut off the thorns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 (edited) My best friend with MS is reading this book. She just went through a bad bout, I think it was because the weather was above 100. But she doesn't go out much anymore and has an air conditioner. She also loves comedy and Michael J. Fox's books, even though he has Parkinson's, she finds his struggle similar to hers. *hugs, Devi* I've never poked into your thread, but I hope you don't mind. I hope your fatigue gets less, I know it never fully goes away. This is pretty much the way my friend feels, but with anger, I don't think that will ever go away fully either. I wish I had some roses to send, I'd cut off the thorns. Poke all you like. I am pretty open with my diagnosis on here. Only place I feel comfortable revealing most of what i go through. I also don't go out much anymore, but I feel more comfortable at home so I don't mind so much. My mum is worried I am becoming a bit of a hermit. I still get angry sometimes even now, also frustrated. Awww thats so sweet with the roses. Edited August 7, 2014 by Devi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted August 15, 2014 Author Share Posted August 15, 2014 Some book pictures I took the other week, just in case no one has seen my photography thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted August 15, 2014 Author Share Posted August 15, 2014 Bit of a reading update, currently 207 pages into A Clash of Kings and 45% into Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse. So far I have found two authors who's work I would like to read more of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 That's pretty good progress . I'm glad you're enjoying your reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 Gorgeous pics Devi! I love the owl bookmark, and I'm glad you're still enjoying A Song of Ice and Fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 Lovely pics, Devi. I look forward to your thoughts on Wastelands. I've been wanting to read that for ages. I'm jealous that you got to meet Tim Ferguson. I used to love Don't Forget Your Toothbrush! I had wondered what happened to Tim after that because he certainly seemed to just disappear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted August 15, 2014 Author Share Posted August 15, 2014 Lovely pics, Devi. I look forward to your thoughts on Wastelands. I've been wanting to read that for ages. I'm jealous that you got to meet Tim Ferguson. I used to love Don't Forget Your Toothbrush! I had wondered what happened to Tim after that because he certainly seemed to just disappear. Thanks, so far its okay. I like having it to dip in and out of. Kindle says it takes me about 20mins to read a story. I know, I didn't make the connection at all until I read in his book that he was the host. The show had payed for a bunch of families with the starlight foundation to go up in a plane (which was my first time ever flying) and fly around Melbourne low, so we could look out and see everything. Probably wouldn't happen ever again now days though. I have a photo of him, me and the hostess somewhere, and an autograph locked in my keepsake box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted August 16, 2014 Author Share Posted August 16, 2014 (edited) More photos http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/9972-devis-photography/page-18#entry402093 Edited August 16, 2014 by Devi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 I can't remember which new books I posted and which ones I didn't, so I just included all my latest purchases. The Night Circus and The Rosie Project were both gifts from the lovely Athena. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Beautiful book pics - so talented ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Oh I do love a good picture of lots of new books! Awesome acquisitions, hope you enjoy the Abercrombie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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