Brian. Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 (edited) I set myself a target of 50 books last year and fell a little short. I didn't end up logging every book I read which was a bit of a disappointment. 2011 was a good year of books for me, the stuff I read I mostly enjoyed with the exceptions being few and far between. The classics I read really surprised me as did the fact that I just can't help but read non-fiction on a regular basis. So here are the books I've read so far in 2012. 01. The Fear Index by Robert Harris 02. The Savage Altar by Asa Larsson 03. Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow 04. I'm With Fatty by Edward Ugel 05. Crime & Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky 06. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk 07. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller 08. Fly By Wire by William Langewiesche 09. The Dead Women of Juarez by Sam Hawken 10. Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne 11. Trafficked by Sophie Hayes 12. Slam by Nick Hornby 13. Going Buddhist by Peter J Conradi 14. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne 15. How to Practice by The Dalai Lama 16. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov 17. Foundation by Isaac Asimov 18. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque 19. Carra by Jaime Carragher 20. The Anatomy of England by Jonathan Wilson 21. Casino Royale by Ian Fleming 22. Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk 23. The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo 24. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga 25. Super Casino by Pete Earley 26. Pao by Kerry Young 27. Around The World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne 28. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami 29. Task Force Black by Mark Urban 30. Nemesis by Jo Nesbo 31. Superfreakonomics by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner 32. Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada 33. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 34. The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy 35. The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo 36. The Infiltrators by Philip Etienne 37. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami 38. Skunk Works by Ben Rich 39. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka 40. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote 41. Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming 42. After Dark by Haruki Murakami 43. Underground by Haruki Murakami 44. I Am the Secret Footballer by Anonymous 45. Bloggs 19 by Tony Thompson 46. Ecstasy by Irvine Welsh 47. The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo 48. To Live Outside the Law by Leaf Fielding 49. Black Hearts by Jim Frederick 50. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 51. The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton 52. Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney 53. The Upgrade by Paul Carr 54. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden 55. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut 56. South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami 57. Brotherhood of Warriors by Aaron Cohen 58. 1984 by Geroge Orwell Edited December 22, 2012 by Brian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted December 16, 2011 Author Share Posted December 16, 2011 (edited) To Be Read Fiction Age of Reason - Jean Paul Sartre All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque Alone In Berlin - Hans Fallada Archangel - Robert Harris Cairo Swan Song - Mekkawi Said Casino Royale - Ian Fleming Catch 22 - Joseph Heller Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell Contact - Carl Sagan Crime & Punishment - Dostoyevsky Dracula - Bram Stoker Enigma - Robert Harris Foucault's Pendulum - Umberto Eco Frankenstein - Mary Shelley Germinal - Emile Zola Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad I, Robot - Isaac Asimov Lord of the Flies - William Golding Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden Money - Martin Amis Moth Smoke - Mohsin Hamid Nineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell Pompeii - Robert Harris Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe Slam - Nick Hornby Smiley's People - John Le Carre The Black Dahlia - James Ellroy The Collectors - David Baldacci The Dharma Bums - Jack Kerouac The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli The Satanic Verses - Salman Rushdie The Secret Agent - Joseph Conrad The Shipping News - E. Annie Proulx Ulysses - James Joyce Non-Fiction Arnhem: Operation Market Garden - Lloyd Clark Berlin - Antony Beevor Berlin Soldier - Helmut Altner Defying Hitler - Sebastian Haffner Fermat's Last Theorem - Simon Singh Selling Hitler - Robert Harris The Mitrokhin Archive - Christoper Andrew The Origin of the Species - Charles Darwin The Terminal Spy - Alan Cowell Triplex - Nigel West Edited June 10, 2012 by Brian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted December 16, 2011 Author Share Posted December 16, 2011 (edited) Wish List Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk IQ84 - Haruki Murakami Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami Snuff - Chuck Palahniuk Choke - Chuck Palahniuk All Hell Let Loose - Max Hastings Empire State - Adam Christopher Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress - Dai Sijie People Who Eat Darkness - Richard Lloyd Parry Three Comrades - Erich Maria Remarque Edited June 10, 2012 by Brian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted December 17, 2011 Author Share Posted December 17, 2011 (edited) Books Acquired The Fear Index - Robert Harris (Xmas Gift) Through My Eyes - Tim Tebow (Xmas Gift) The Human Stain - Philip Roth (Xmas Gift) Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami (Xmas Gift) 2666 - Roberto Bolano (Xmas Gift) The Corrections - Jonathan Franzen (Xmas Gift) The Dead Women of Juarez - Sam Hawken (Xmas purchase) The Savage Altar - Asa Larsson (Xmas purchase) Generation Kill - Evan Wright (Xmas purchase) Death in Perugia - John Follain (Xmas purchase) The Redbreast - Jo Nesbo Edited March 8, 2012 by Brian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted December 17, 2011 Author Share Posted December 17, 2011 Ok, so this thread is official launched I've got some ideas as to what I want to read next year. I want to be able to strike some more books off the '1001' list, preferably some of the more modern titles. I also want to expand the range of countries of authors I read, The Kite Runner was a real highlight of 2011 for me so its given me a push to explore this. I also want to get 1 tome read in 2012, either Crime & Punishment or Ulysses which I plan to read along side other things I'm read to prevent me getting bogged down too much. I've got a while pile of WWII and Cold War books that I bought last year that I'm still to read. I may as well just accept that there is no way I'm going to stop reading non-fiction. I'll try to at least alternate with fiction as I go along or read 1 fiction & 1 non-fiction title at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted December 26, 2011 Author Share Posted December 26, 2011 Flicking through the books I got as as pressie yesterday I realised the 2666 is absolutely huge at almost 900 pages long. I've also got a few Waterstones & Amazon goodie vouchers to spend Not too sure what to start the year with but I think I'll probably go with The Fear Index as I always enjoy Harris' books. Might start Crime & Punishment at the same time and read it in tandem with whatever I am reading at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 (edited) For a moment then I was confused as I wondered how it was possibly that you had read a book in 2012 already when it hadn't started yet. Then I realised.. In any case, best of look with your 2012 reading, you do have some great reads ahead of you judging by that to-be-read pile. I'm also planning on reading Crime and Punishment in the early part of the year so I'll looking forward to hearing how you get on, and to reading your thoughts. That also goes for all the other books you'll be reading this year; have a good one, Brian. Edited December 26, 2011 by Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted December 26, 2011 Author Share Posted December 26, 2011 For a moment then I was confused as I wondered how it was possibly that you had read a book in 2012 already when it hadn't started yet. Then I realised.. In any case, best of look with your 2012 reading, you do have some great reads ahead of you judging by that to-be-read pile. I'm also planning on reading Crime and Punishment in the early part of the year so I'll looking forward to hearing how you get on, and to reading your thoughts. That also goes for all the other books you'll be reading this year; have a good one, Brian. I am a time traveller I did it to keep the format simple and so that I could C&P the format with every new book I read but with the new board software its not really needed anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted January 1, 2012 Author Share Posted January 1, 2012 (edited) 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. Edited January 1, 2012 by Brian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 (edited) Hi Brian I also have Crime & Punishment. not sure when I'll get to it, but I'll keep an eye out for you to read it to see how you like it . Nothing wrong with liking to read nonfiction. I prefer it over fiction a lot of the time too ,but will read either one . Your bookshelves are nice -very neat and orderly . Happy Reading in 2012 . Edited January 1, 2012 by julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 (edited) I may as well just accept that there is no way I'm going to stop reading non-fiction. I'll try to at least alternate with fiction as I go along or read 1 fiction & 1 non-fiction title at a time. Is there any reason why you should? I love reading non-fiction, and whilst I don't currently read as much as fiction (it's about two-thirds fiction to one-third nonfiction), some of the best reads I've had have been nonfiction. I'm actually aiming to read a bit more rather than less! By the way, if you're interested in WW2, one of my best reads last year was Max Hastings's All Hell Let Loose. I don't read a huge amount on the subject, but this was a real pleasure. Edited January 1, 2012 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 I read very little non-fiction Brian, but wish I read more. Fiction is great, and I love the escapism it affords but with non-fiction you are learning at the same time. I am endeavouring to read more this year, and have added a few books to my wishlist. All Hell Let Loose is one of them.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted January 1, 2012 Author Share Posted January 1, 2012 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). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted January 1, 2012 Author Share Posted January 1, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 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. My local branch were selling it half-price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted January 2, 2012 Author Share Posted January 2, 2012 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) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 I've just started to get into non fiction, and I've just realised how much I'm missing out on. So I don't see anything wrong with having lots of non fiction books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 (edited) Death in Perugia - John Follain (Non-Fiction) I've just clicked! I'm currently reading the first Aurelio Zen story (Michael Dibdin), and it's set in Perugia. I hadn't worked out that it was the same place as this real-life mystery. The university is one of the locations - I gather Dibdin worked there for some time. Adds a certain frisson to the story. Edited January 2, 2012 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 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). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted January 6, 2012 Author Share Posted January 6, 2012 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 got The 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Fight Club is a great book. Have you read it before, or seen the movie? I haven't really liked anything Chuck Palahniuk has written apart from that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 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). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted January 11, 2012 Author Share Posted January 11, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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