Brian.
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Posts posted by Brian.
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Myself in Las Vegas last May.
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In my opinion whe it comes to kids reading its all about them finding something interesting to read when they are younger. When I was a nipper it was generally accepted that when I was sent to bed I could read for as long as I wanted (no tv in my room). During this time I saw it as my own little act of rebellion but in reality it was doing me good in the long run. Reading the Famous Five, Beatrix Potter and Brer Rabbit is what got me hooked on reading.
As I got older I got distracted by video games , music, sports etc but the habit was so ingrained in me that I always read as well. For many years though I only read non-ficiton as I couldn't really find any fiction that drew me in, I could have done with something like BCF back then
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I love the cover on Empire State, the synopsis sounds pretty interesting as well. I think I'll have to stick it on my wish list. As you mentioned, the colour combination of red white and black really stands out. (And reminds me of The White Stripes)
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Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
Synopsis
Every weekend, in basements and parking lots across the country, young men with good white-collar jobs and absent fathers take off their shoes and shirts and fight each other barehanded for as long as they have to. Then they go back to those jobs with blackened eyes and loosened teeth and the sense that they can handle anything. Fight Club is the invention of Tyler Durden, projectionist, waiter and dark, anarchic genius. And it's only the beginning of his plans for revenge on a world where cancer support groups have the corner on human warmth. (Taken from Amazon)
My Thoughts
I'm a huge fan of the movie that is based on this book so I was a little apprehensive going into this one. I hoped it would live up to my expectations based on the movie but at the same time I didn't want it to make me like the movie any less. I was initially surprised at how small the book is, while I didn't expect a huge tome I thought it would be a little bigger than it is (220 Pg).
I shouldn't have been worried. As it turned out I love the book as much as I do the movie. I was unsure as to how I would like Palahniuk's style as it seems to be a bit marmite with people. It's pretty much perfect for my type of reading. I prefer economy of words instead of long drawn out descriptions. The style really fits well with the story and I can see why it leant itself to a screenplay so well.
One thing that has to taken into consideration after seeing the movie is that forever in my head the characters are the ones I saw in the movie and not a combination of my imagination and the book. The casting was pretty much spot on so its a help in my opinion. I really love this book and would reccomend it to everyone.
5/5
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Thanks for the link Frankie. Work is being a pain and really getting in the way of my reading. There will be another book before I get to Catch-22. I'm With Fatty by Edward Ugel, was given it by someone who found it and isn't a reader. Looks like it will be a quick an easy read. More than half way through Crime & Punishment, was going to spend today reading but spent it cooking instead, waiting for my Brownies to cool down. Mmmmm.
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Hey Kylie, thanks for the kind words.
I've just finished reading Fight Club and as I expected I loved it, I shall stick up a proper review in the next day or so. Work has been pretty hectic for me the last few weeks so my amount of reading has been crushed. The same as you, I'm finding Crime and Punishment to be a bit of a slog but I am still enjoying it so I intend to stick with it. Reading it along side other books has certainly helped to keep the slog to a minimum.
I guess I should make Catch-22 my next read as you seem very insistent
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To go along with Crime & Punishment which I'm still reading bit by bit I've decided to read Fight Club, inspired partly by the topic in another sub-forum.
Crime & Punishment is coming along quite nicely although I can't help but feel that Dostoyevsky likes using 20 words when 2 would suffice. The story itself is pretty interesting but seems to be quite slow moving at times, I am still enjoying it though.
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Thanks for the link Kylie! But ebooks really do my head in. I mean I guess I would manage to read a book on an eReader but I really dislike reading a book on a website. I always feel like I should go and buy a fricking printer and print the whole thing. Which would of course be very impractical. I'd have to go and get the whole thing put into a book. Get nice covers for it and have it bound. The American Language book is the one I've borrowed from the uni library
I was of the same opinion with ebooks as you were but I have to say that it is quite different to reading things off of a computer screen. I found that I quite quickly forgot that I was reading an ebook. I still can't move away from paper books completely though, I find the price for new releases is far too high for what you are getting. Also, paper books look great and are very easy to lend to people and don't need charging up.
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You may have already read them but if not then I would recommend the Stieg Larsson trilogy. If you fancy something with a bit of a different take the crime angle then Fatherland by Robert Harris may be worth looking at. Its set in a post war Germany as if Hitler had won the war and features the murder of a young recruit. Recently I've also read The Savage Altar by Asa Larsson which was an enjoyable read.
I look forward to seeing what you think of The Redbreast, as I've just bought a copy myself but haven't got round to reading it yet.
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Busy week and weekend for me so I haven't got much reading done. Finished 1 book though so here is a short review. The timing is rather apt as well I think.
Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow
Synopsis
Over the course of the last five years, Tim Tebow established himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of college football and a top prospect in the NFL. During that time he amassed an unparalleled resume winning two BCS national championships, becoming the first sophomore in NCAA history to win the Heisman trophy, and in the face of massive public scrutiny, being drafted in the first round of the NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. Now, in Through My Eyes, Tebow brings readers everywhere an inspirational memoir about life as he chose to live it, revealing how his faith and family values, combined with his relentless will to succeed, have molded him into the person that he is today. As the son of Christian missionaries, Tebow has a unique story to tell from the circumstances of his birth, to his home-schooled roots, to his record-setting collegiate football career with the Florida Gators and everything else that took place in between. At every step, Tebow's life has defied convention and expectation. While aspects of his life have been well-documented, the stories have always been filtered through the opinions and words of others. Through My Eyes is his passionate, firsthand, never-before-told account of how it all really happened. (Taken from Amazon)
My Thoughts
I was given this as a Christmas present this year after I expressed a great interest in the phenomenon that Tim Tebow has become. I am quite a big NFL fan and living in England means that the college came pretty much passes me by. We have little coverage of it so although I knew Tebow had a big following from his college days I wasn't aware of the ins and outs of it all.
I guess the reason for writing this book is two-fold. Firstly Tebow gets to tell his own story and set straight a few things that has been mis-told in the press. Secondly it gives him a platform to tell the world about his religious upbringing and beliefs. One thing that comes out strongly in this book is his wanting to bring Jesus into peoples lives. This second point was also a big part of my interest as British athletes and sportsmen don't talk about religion at all.
So, onto the book. The first section deals with his upbringing and school life up to and including high school. Obviously god plays a huge part in his outlook on life and although he says he doesn't wish to preach to others the book does get a little preachy in places. If I'm honest though it doesn't spoil the book, after all, you are reading about Tebow, god is going to feature a lot. This section also deals with the fact that he was home schooled and the issues that could and did arise from that. At no point does he seem to think that he missed out on anything. In fact he attributes it in helping because he could schedule it around his sports activities.
The second part of the book is all about his time at college and the dilemma he had in deciding which college to choose. I was very surprised to read that he still hadn't made his mind up 15 minutes before he was due to announce it to the nation. Once choosing the college to attend most of the rest of this part details the games, results and certain plays that stuck in his mind. The final part deals with the draft and first season with the Denver Broncos.
In the end I had to give the book a rating of 'OK'. There are some compelling parts to it, his drive and and passion to be the best he can be is really inspirational. I have little doubt that it is this drive which has lead to his success. He is also very open about his religion and all aspects of it including his belief in sex after marriage. However I feel it falls down a little when it reaches the college section of the book. Here is turns into merely a collection of game recollections. For me, this is no huge problem as I like American Football, however it does get pretty repetitive. After a while it turns into a bit of a mush. I would liked to have read a bit more about his life outside football, maybe he didn't have much of one so there is little to talk about in that respect?
This is a decent read if you have an interest in the individual but will be of little interest to anyone who isn't already a fan in my opinion.
2/5 (It was ok).
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I'm a huge fan of the movie but I've seen that his writing can be very polarizing so decided to go with something a little familiar as an intro to Palahniuk.
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I picked up a couple of books from Amazon only to realise I screwed up the checkout process and hasnt used my voucher, ohh well more books coming then
I gotThe Redbreast - Jo Nesbo
Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk
Fly By Wire - William Langweische (non-fiction)
I am after on peoples opinions on Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. I remember it getting a lot of praise on a few podcast I listen to but I'm not sure if it is my thing or not.
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Review for Haruki Murakami's What I Talk About When I Talk About Running on 2011 blog.
I've had his on my wish list for a while, thanks for the review I mght have to see if I can pick a copy of this up over the weekend.
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So far I am about 150 pages into 'Crime & Punishment' and I am enjoying it far more than I initially thought I would do. I've read all of the first part where the murder is commited and was really taken about how well the tension is ratcheted up over a long period of time. I'm also finding it less wordy than I assumed it would be. I still have to read it in silence because I am finding that I really have to concentrate on it which can prove difficult at work.
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I am interested in getting IQ84 soon but only one I've read Kafka on the Shore so thanks for posting your thoughts on it.
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The Savage Altar by Asa Larsson
Synopsis
A church in the glittering frozen wastes of Northern Sweden. Inside, a sacrifice: the body of a man - slashed to pieces, hands severed, eyes gouged out.
The victim's sister, Sanna, is first to discover the body and immediately finds herself the police's only suspect. Terrified and confused, she calls on a friend: hot-shot city lawyer Rebecka Martinsson.
Rebecka hardly wants to return to Kiruna - the small town she fled in disgrace years ago. But Sanna is frightened and she needs a loyal friend to clear her name. Someone not scared to dig deep and find the true killer.
Yet Rebecka is not especially welcomed into the closed-lipped community of Kiruna. She might know the town, the people and how suspicious they can be of strangers. But she has still to find out how dark the town's secrets have become in her absence. (Taken from Amazon)
My Thoughts
I picked this book up the other day from Waterstones completely on impulse. There is no doubt in my mind that publishers are more prepared than ever to push Scandinavian crime fiction as I haven't seen this book anywhere previously. The synopsis piqued my interest and I think it was on a half price deal so I decided to give it a shot.
On the whole I would say that it is pretty standard crime fiction with a hero who is not directly involved in the law getting caught up in a murder trial due to a childhood friend connection. As a character Martinsson didn't instantly appeal to me in any great way. In fact, in the early stages of the book I was more drawn to a dog called Vikhu (I think) and 2 young children in the story. Her friend, the character Sanna was someone who I took an instant dislike to, this felt a bit odd to me but as it turns out it was probably intended that way by Larsson.
There are a few things that happen in the story which I instantly recognised as being of great significance. For example, Martinsson loses her keys at one point in the snow and has to get some replacements. I didn't really detect any crazy twists, I comes apparent quite quickly in the concluding part of the book who the killer is but this doesn't detract from the story too much.
I have to say that I found the first half of the book a little slow going although not to the extent that it made me regret reading it at any point. During the second half the book really gets into its swing and I read through it in no time at all. It was an enjoyable read if not a great one and I was glad to read that the Martinsson series has more books in it as I will be reading them at some point.
3/5 (I liked it).
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I've had this on my TBR pile for a while but haven't got round to reading it yet. I may have to bump it up my priorities and get to it sooner than I had planned.
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I started to read Crime & Punishment by Dostoyevsky yesterday and I'm liking it so far. Also started The Savage Altar by Asa Larsson today and I am already half way through it.
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Been checking out some Volbeat, I saw them at last years Sonisphere and they out on a good live show.
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Defeated in the quest for All Hell Let Loose, my local store had other Max Hastings titles but not this one. I will have to pick up a copy from Amazon. Spent my Waterstones gift cards this morning and picked up the following, all of them are impulse buys. Managed to only spend a few more quid than I had on the cards.
The Dead Women of Juarez - Sam Hawken (Fiction)
The Savage Altar - Asa Larsson (Fiction)
Generation Kill - Evan Wright (Non-Fiction)
Death in Perugia - John Follain (Non-Fiction)
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How do you find that your reading ties in with your Uni studies? Is it a case of not getting enough time or more that because of the volume of Uni reading you just need a break from the act of reading?
I see you have some Richard Dawkins on your TBR, I shall have to keep an eye out in case you get round to any of his books this year. I found The God Delusion a bit stodgy in places but interesting none the less.
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In response to my comments on non-fiction, its because I don't get a huge amount of reading done in a year and sometimes feel I am neglecting my fiction pile. Its just a silly thing I know but I think it comes from the fact that this is only the 3rd year I've been reading fiction and it feels like I have to catch up
Thanks for the recommendation of All Hell Let Loose. I might have to see if Waterstones have it in stock tomorrow, I have some gift cards to use.
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The Fear Index by Robert Harris
Synopsis
His name is carefully guarded from the general public but within the secretive inner circles of the ultra-rich Dr Alex Hoffmann is a legend - a visionary scientist whose computer software turns everything it touches into gold.
Together with his partner, an investment banker, Hoffmann has developed a revolutionary form of artificial intelligence that tracks human emotions, enabling it to predict movements in the financial markets with uncanny accuracy. His hedge fund, based in Geneva, makes billions.
But then in the early hours of the morning, while he lies asleep with his wife, a sinister intruder breaches the elaborate security of their lakeside house. So begins a waking nightmare of paranoia and violence as Hoffmann attempts, with increasing desperation, to discover who is trying to destroy him.
His quest forces him to confront the deepest questions of what it is to be human. By the time night falls over Geneva, the financial markets will be in turmoil and Hoffmann's world - and ours - transformed forever. (Taken from Amazon)
My Thoughts
I was planning to wait for this to come out on paperback before buying it as the price of hardbacks does make me wince. It was hard to resist as I really like Harris as an author. Fortunately I was given it as a Christmas present by my parents and it was most welcome.
The basic plot was a little different than I assumed it would be. Although it's based on the financial markets the financial institution is an office in Geneva and not the 'stock market' trade exchanges as I had assumed. This is entirely down to me, I hadn't read anything about the book as I didn't want to spoil my enjoyment of it. Despite my incorrect thinking the plot is set up pretty quickly and the story goes along at a good pace.
Alex Hoffmann is a social awkward and eccentric computer genius (aren't they all) who has set up a hedge fund with flashy trader Hugo Quarry. The big difference in this fund is that it uses a computer algorithm with learns as it goes along based on the human reaction to fear. Inevitably things start going awry and Hoffmann's world gets turned upside down.
The book is based in a very short time period, if memory serves me correctly its a day, two at most. As he has done in may other books Harris uses a historical event (the stock market crash) as a major plot point in the book. Even though I knew that it was coming it does not have a detrimental affect on the story.
The main plot twist I saw coming a mile off, in fact I was wondering when it was going to come. Without spoiling the story all I will say is that its been done before and was a let down if I am perfectly honest. There are a few nice twists and turns as the story develops but not enough to leave a lasting impression with me.
In the end I would say that it is a decent book, easy to read and an enjoyable read. However, I have to say that it is not a patch on the Cicero books and probably not as good as Fatherland either. Its good but not great.
I am going to use the goodreads ratings this year and so The Fear Index gets ...
3/5 (I liked it).
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I managed to finish The Fear Index earlier so I will be doing a review shortly. However, in the mean time, I really like pics of peoples bookshelves so I thought I'd take a pic now that I have finished sorting them all out again. The middle bookcase is my fiction one and as you can see, my fiction collection is meagre in comparison to my non-fiction one.
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Yeah it was immensly cool. I'm not really one for flash razamataz but I found you can go to such a range of places there will be more than a few that suit your own tastes. The people were great, I went to the Grand Canyon, shot some guns at The Gun Store, saw a show at Planet Hollywood, played some Blackjack and best of all the weather was great.