ian
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Posts posted by ian
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Travellin' Man - Ricky Nelson
Ian
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Welcome to the site, Nick!
Ian
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After an aborted attempt to read Robinson Crusoe, I needed something light and easy to read - so " Confessins of a GP" by Dr Benjamin Daniels was, excuse the very bad pun, just what the doctor ordered! I read it over the weekend as it's a very light easy read,very funny in parts but still manages to be quite moving
Books read = 17
Next read - American Assassin - Vince Flynn
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Oh Dear - this list seems to contain every single book I've started and not been able to finish!
Still, if reading all of these books makes you a man, then I'm happy to remain a boy if it means not having to read "Catcher in the Rye" again or attempt Catch-22 again
Ian
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A shame that the first couple of books in the series haven't been translated into english yet
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They are (the books) very very funny and were pretty much constant re-reads throughtout my teens.
Ian
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The redbreast was excellent - I will need to get hold of some more Nesbo pretty sharpish!
Since then (I've been a bit remiss in posting here) I've read book 16 which was "Under the Rotunda" by Danny Bernardi.
Living in Birmingham I was intrigued when I found this in the library as I have never read a book based in Birmingham before. The first half was a bit if a slog to be honest, as I found the main charactors very annoying. Fortunately, the second half settles down and begins to tell a proper story.
Ian
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I have been enjoying the new series on BBC Sun/Mon nights, but I can't say that I have ever heard of these books before or in fact the author (Kate Atkinson). Are they worth while reading, and if so, do they need to be read in order?
Ian
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Took the kids to see Kung foo panda 2 last week. I didn't think I was going to enjoy it too be honest, but I really enjoyed it!
simle things for simple minds....
Ian
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I've just finished The Redbreast. I really enjoyed it. I can see from a marketing stance why they would put "The next Steig Larrson" but for me, it reminded me most of Ian Rankin writing Rebus.
My only gripe is that the blurb on the back of the paperback gives away a MAJOR plot delevopment that doesn't happen till halfway through the book! Why do that? It would have come as a complete shock to me had I not known it was going to happen.
Ian
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Thanks Poppy - It was Paris. We had a great time, but now my wallet and I need a rest!
And so, onto book 15 of the year - The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo. (Actually, I'm already halfway through. I haven't been able to visit the site and update as my laptop at home has died, so I have had to wait till my lunchtime here at work!
Ian
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Chris was always in the news, and, frankly came across as something of an idiot, so I was disappointed to hear that he was taking over from Johnnie Walker on the radio 2 drivetime programme. I needn�t have worried though - I loved it! Clearly this was a man who had grown up!
Exactly the reaction I had at the time, Janet! I was really hoping they would give the gig to Stuart Maconie. I saw this book in my local library last time I was in there. I'll pick this up next time I see it
Ian
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I could recommend " The man in the high castle" by Philip K. Dick. This has the alternative history of the Axis powers winning world war 2. It's a little bit dated now, but good nonetheless, with a killer ending!
Ian
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Finished " The Reapers" by John Connolly.
A standard thriller, elevated by some good characterisation and some interesting sub-themes
book read this year = 14
A break from reading for a little while. Taking the kids to Disneyland, which I suspect will leave me very little time for reading!
Ian
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That would be my only criticism of the last episode - it felt rushed. Still, you have to work with the time given, and unless they are going to go to two-parters all the time, you're stuck with 45 mins.
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Willy Wonka - I'm not an Umpa Lumpa, so he would have sacked me!
(gotta be a case for unfair dismissal and discrimination there)
Ian
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Having only a very small house, my collection was pared down to a handful when I got married. I was gutted at the time, but it was something that had to be done. I probably only actually own about 10 books these days, which is a shameful thing to admit to on a reading forum!
I've promised myself that one of the kids bedrooms will be converted into a library once they move out. 9 and 6 - I have a looong time to wait!
Ian
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Just finished "Found Wanting" by Robert Goddard.
Anyone who has read any Robbert Goddard will know the form that his books take. In this, the protaganist, Richard Eusden, agrees to carry an attache case over to an old friend in Brussels who is dying. He doesn't know what the case contains or why so many people want to get hold of it.
I enjoyed this book. The charactors make their way across northern europe and scandanavia trying to solve the mystery of what the case contains. At times it reminded me of a Dan Brown book, with all the twists in the plot. The difference? It avoids the hyperbole of Dan Brown and has a plot that is beleivable.
Books read = 13
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It sounds like a child book with pics
I think I would have enjoyed it more if it was!
What would be even more annoying is if there was absolutely no reference to a hedgehog whatsoever. Has the title got any relevance to the story?There is, right at the end. I'd pretty much given up by then
Ian
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Well it certainly worked on me! Fortunately a library find rather than a bookshop find. Then again, if I was buying I would have read the first page, which would have put me off buying it anyway.
Ian
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OK, I admit it.
I went into the library and picked up this book based solely on the title. It must be the first time I have ever done that (with a book anyway - I once brought a CD based on the title of track 1) and based on the result, it'll be the last time.
I don't think I have the words to adequatly describe how much I disliked this book. It tells the story of Benton Kirby, who has found himself with two girlfriends and what happens to him as a result of trying to keep one from the other.
The first half of the book is especially bad, as it leaps from one scene to another. In fact the first half is less a book but a collection of seperate paragraphs. Occasionally, one of these is funny, but it is too few and far between. I couldn't get into the main character, as he is basically a ba*****d with no redeeming qualities (which I realise is the point). Nick Hornby does this type of thing MUCH better.
The second half of the book does settle down a bit, and begin telling a story in a more coherent, structured way, and there are glimmers of good writing here, which is why I think it annoys me so much; this isn't bad writing so much as lazy writing. But by then I'd given up. It was only through sheer bloody-minedness that I finished the book at all.
The funny title now begins to look like a cynical marketing ploy.
Is is just me? Am I just a miserable old git, or has someone else read this and agrees with me
thanks for listening!
Ian
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Poppy - that is exactly what I thought when I saw it in the library. I picked it simply because I liked the title. Because I was in a hurry, and I already had two other books, I didn't bother opening it to read the first few lines.
This was a mistake.
So, having 6 hours of uninterupted reading WOULD have been good, if I'd had a good book to read for the entire 6 hours. As it was, having finished The Poet at about lunchtime, I only had this to read.
As you can probably tell - I didn't enjoy it!
Ian
Books read = 12
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BTW - prehaps it was just me, but in the trailer for next weeks episode - did that sound like Tom Baker speaking?
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While I personally didn't enjoy it quite as much as the 2-part opener, I did think it was an enjoyable way to spend an hour (ish) being enterained. My kids (9 & 6) really liked it - and let's not forget that this show is supposedly aimed primarily at children/families.
As for Amy in pirate get up - what's not to like? Or is that me being a bit middle-aged manish?
Ian
Managers' guidebook to types of people
in Book Search and Reading Recommendations
Posted
Is this a specifically work related issue? If so, "How to build a great team" by Ros Jay is a good starting point.
After that, maybe try the psychcology section of the library or bookshop.
Ian