frankie Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Great review, Brian! I've had the book for a few years now and I have really no idea why I haven't read it yet. I've only read one Murakami novel, Sputnit Sweetheart (which I would heartily recommend, btw!) but I really liked it and it has stayed in my mind. I also like running, I used to go jogging on a regular basis but then got busy with other things... I've wanted to start jogging again for a while now, I think I should read this book as an incentive and for inspiration Edit: Do you have any other Murakamis on your TBR? Which book do you think you might for next? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted June 10, 2012 Author Share Posted June 10, 2012 I have a copy of Kafka on the Shore which I've been meaning to read at some point this year. Ie got so many books to read I don't know where to go next. I'll probably read Task Force Black which is a non-fiction book about the war in Iraq. After that I just can't decide, I want to read The Help, Kafka on the Shore, the next Nesbo book in the series and various others. I'm hopeless at deciding an usually choose on a whim as I'm heading out the door to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 I also believe in the system of whim I hope Kafka on the Shore treats you good when you get to it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted June 16, 2012 Author Share Posted June 16, 2012 Task Force Black by Mark Urban Synopsis When American and British forces invaded Iraq in March 2003, select teams of special forces and intelligence operatives got to work looking for the WMD their governments had promised were there. They quickly realized no such weapons existed. Instead they faced an insurgency—a soaring spiral of extremism and violence that was almost impossible to understand, let alone reverse. Facing defeat, the Coalition waged a hidden war within a war. Major-General Stan McChrystal devised a campaign fusing special forces, aircraft, and the latest surveillance technology with the aim of taking down the enemy faster than it could regenerate. Guided by intelligence, British and American special forces conducted a relentless onslaught, night after night targeting al-Qaeda and other insurgent groups. (Taken from Goodreads) My Thoughts I picked this up from my local charity bookshop after dropping off a load of books that I salvaged from the trash. The cover made it look like the usual Iraq/Afghanistan soldier's memoirs. It is not, Mark Urban is in fact a journalist and this book is a look at the intelligence and political battles faced behind the scenes. I found the book pretty interesting despite it not being the usual bombastic tale of gun fights, air support and ambushes. In particular I found the stuff about McChrystal very interesting as he has become a figure of some mystery in the media in recent years. From the start it would appear that Urban is fairly pro-war and doesn't ask or answer some of the ethical questions behind the invasion of Iraq. There are references to Tony Blair but none dealing with the bit question about the intelligence behind the WMD claims. This is a big omission and even though it is not the focus of the book I think it should still have been given a chapter. The prose is a bit boggy in places when compared to soldier's memoirs but I think that this is a bit of an unfair comparison. When looked at what it is, I think it is a fine book looking at some parts of warfare which are often overlooked in popular media. Perhaps Urban could have been a little more critical of decisions taken but I think two things should be borne in mind here. One, he developed a bond with the people involved, this is very clear. Two, he is not a soldier, casting aspersions without having been in the position would have been inappropriate. 3/5 (I liked it) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 Went into town today to pick up a few things and couldn't help but go into a few charity shops along the way. I was determined not to buy any more than a couple of books but came away with quite a few. A History of Germany 1815-1985 by William Carr (pretty beaten up but it looks pretty interesting) Live & Let Die by Ian Fleming Diamonds Are Forever by Ian Fleming From Russia With Love by Ian Fleming (They were part of a set but buying the whole set just wasn't worth it) The Beach by Alex Garland (I've had this on my wishlist for a while mainly because I love the movie) The Tesseract by Alex Garland (Tesseract is the name of a band so this caught my eye, the synopsis looks great) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (This seems to get great reviews on here) The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo (Loved 'The Redbreast' and this was the next in the series that I don't own already) Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk (Another Palahniuk that I had to buy as I don't own it already) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (I'm yet to read any Twain so this seems like a great place to start) Popcorn by Ben Elton (Yet to read any Ben Elton and the synopsis looked like the sort of thing I would like) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 What a great haul! A History of Germany 1815-1985 by William Carr (pretty beaten up but it looks pretty interesting) - I hardly ever read them but I think all kinds of history books should be rather interesting. The Beach by Alex Garland (I've had this on my wishlist for a while mainly because I love the movie) - I've not seen the movie but quite a few people on here seem to have liked the novel. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (This seems to get great reviews on here) - This was amazing! I don't think you will regret buying this one The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (I'm yet to read any Twain so this seems like a great place to start) - These are classic novels so I don't think you have to really explain to us why you got them Popcorn by Ben Elton (Yet to read any Ben Elton and the synopsis looked like the sort of thing I would like) - I think I read this one, it's not very memorable but I do have this idea that I enjoyed it okay when I was reading it. Happy reading! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Good charity shops you have round your way Brian ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 The Beach by Alex Garland (I've had this on my wishlist for a while mainly because I love the movie) Love this book. The movie doesn't do it justice, but if you love the movie then you will hopefully enjoy the book. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (This seems to get great reviews on here) This one's a favorite of many, and for good reason. It's a very moving (and original) story and will probably stay with you for quite a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 - I hardly ever read them but I think all kinds of history books should be rather interesting. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - This was amazing! I don't think you will regret buying this one I dip in and out of history books and unless the writing style is dreadful they tend to be good reads. One of the best I've ever read was The Spartans by Paul Cartledge. Everyone seems to say The Book Thief is amazing, I shall have to make sure I read it sooner rather than later. Good charity shops you have round your way Brian ! Yeah, I'm quite lucky in that respect. It's just a shame that I only started using them earlier this year. We must have about 10 or so in Bedford but only 3 with a decent amount of books. The first is a Salvation Army shop with a huge book collection upstairs. The second is a really small Oxfam bookstore but it still has a really good selection despite it's small size. The last one and my favourite is a Mercy in Action charity bookshop which opened just before christmas. The guy who runs it is always really chatty and uber delighted whenever I bring in any books I no longer want. Best of all the prices are really good, usually no more than £1 a book. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (This seems to get great reviews on here) This one's a favorite of many, and for good reason. It's a very moving (and original) story and will probably stay with you for quite a while. Just what kind of book I've been looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arukiyomi Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Everyone seems to say The Book Thief is amazing, I shall have to make sure I read it sooner rather than later. Well, let me buck the trend. It's good but definitely not amazing. He took what could have been an extremely powerful story told if with simplicity and just overcomplicated it for me. Maybe that's what young adults need nowadays though. I wouldn't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Well, let me buck the trend. It's good but definitely not amazing. He took what could have been an extremely powerful story told if with simplicity and just overcomplicated it for me. Maybe that's what young adults need nowadays though. I wouldn't know. Did you end up getting it for your niece Arukiyomi? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 (edited) The Beach by Alex Garland (I've had this on my wishlist for a while mainly because I love the movie) The Tesseract by Alex Garland (Tesseract is the name of a band so this caught my eye, the synopsis looks great) I love The Beach. One of my favourite books! The tesseract was quite good too. It's well written but I did feel it would have been better split into a few novellas. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark TwainAdventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (I'm yet to read any Twain so this seems like a great place to start) I've been wanting to read Mark Twain for ages. I'll be interested in what you think of these. The Beach by Alex Garland (I've had this on my wishlist for a while mainly because I love the movie) Love this book. The movie doesn't do it justice, but if you love the movie then you will hopefully enjoy the book. I totally agree. The book is so much better. Edited June 19, 2012 by ~Andrea~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Well, let me buck the trend. It's good but definitely not amazing. He took what could have been an extremely powerful story told if with simplicity and just overcomplicated it for me. Maybe that's what young adults need nowadays though. I wouldn't know. I completely agree with this. I enjoyed it, and it was good, but I didn't think it was anywhere near as good as everyone else thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arukiyomi Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Did you end up getting it for your niece Arukiyomi? ah...no I didn't. I thought the language in places wasn't something I'd be comfortable reading out loud to her so made the decision not to on that basis. I didn't really understand why he had the characters swearing as they did. I didn't see a need for it. It's not like Trainspotting where it's an integral part of the characters' personalities and where the book would be a lesser novel if it was removed. I may buy it for her in years to come if she doesn't discover it for herself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 ah...no I didn't. I thought the language in places wasn't something I'd be comfortable reading out loud to her so made the decision not to on that basis. I didn't really understand why he had the characters swearing as they did. I didn't see a need for it. It's not like Trainspotting where it's an integral part of the characters' personalities and where the book would be a lesser novel if it was removed. I may buy it for her in years to come if she doesn't discover it for herself. I'm really glad you checked it out for yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 My boyfriend has Task Force Black on his shelf, I might have to borrow it after reading your review Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted June 24, 2012 Author Share Posted June 24, 2012 Thanks for all the input guys and gals, I really appreciate it. This will be how I spend my Sunday, until the football is on tonight that is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 Oh, one of my pet peeves.... It's Jo Nesbø! With the quirky o with the thingy in the middle! This week at the library I was determined to find the first book in the series to read, I was expecting to find a lot of copies, but they were all borrowed, of course. Darn! And for some reason there doesn't seem to be that many copies of his books, either, and I have no idea why Are you interested in other cultures or traveling in general, or Iceland in specific? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted June 24, 2012 Author Share Posted June 24, 2012 The first 2 haven't been translated into English which I find a little strange given his popularity. That means I had to start with The Redbreast but I didn't feel like I had missed out on anything by not being able to read the other two first. My airline has started to fly to Iceland and as staff I get discounted flights so I am planning a winter break to Iceland as I've always wanted to go. I do like traveling but still haven't managed to visit all that many countries. It's pretty slack on my part seeing the flight options I have available to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 The first 2 haven't been translated into English which I find a little strange given his popularity. That means I had to start with The Redbreast but I didn't feel like I had missed out on anything by not being able to read the other two first. Really, I had no idea, that sucks I'm happy it didn't stop you from enjoying the book, though. They should really get down to work and translate the two books into English, it's rather a disgrace it hasn't been already done. Tut tut. My airline has started to fly to Iceland and as staff I get discounted flights so I am planning a winter break to Iceland as I've always wanted to go. I do like traveling but still haven't managed to visit all that many countries. It's pretty slack on my part seeing the flight options I have available to me. That's so cool about the discounted flights, what a great perk! I bet Iceland will be amazing and beautiful... When you go, you must take pictures (duh, of course!), and post a few on the forum, please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted June 24, 2012 Author Share Posted June 24, 2012 I plan to take loads and loads of photos, that's for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted June 25, 2012 Author Share Posted June 25, 2012 Nemesis by Jo Nesbo Synopsis Grainy closed-circuit television footage shows a man walking into an Oslo bank and putting a gun to a cashier's head. He tells the young woman to count to twenty-five. When the robber doesn't get his money in time, the cashier is executed, and two million Norwegian kroner disappear without a trace. Police Detective Harry Hole is assigned to the case. While Hole's girlfriend is away in Russia, an old flame decides to get in touch. Former girlfriend and struggling artist Anna Bethsen invites Hole to dinner, and he can't resist a visit. But the evening ends in an all too familiar way as Hole awakens with a thundering headache, a missing cell phone, and no memory of the past twelve hours. That same morning, Anna is found shot dead in her bed. Hole begins to receive threatening e-mails. Is someone trying to frame him for this unexplained death? Meanwhile, the bank robberies continue with unparalleled savagery. As the death toll continues to mount, Hole becomes a prime suspect in a criminal investigation led by his longtime adversary Tom Waaler and Waaler's vigilante police force. Racing from the cool, autumnal streets of Oslo to the steaming villages of Brazil, Hole is determined to absolve himself of suspicion by uncovering all the information needed to crack both cases. But the ever-threatening Waaler is not finished with his old archenemy quite yet. (Taken from Goodreads) My Thoughts This is the second book in the Harry Hole series which has been translated into English and the fourth to feature the character. Why the first two haven't been translated yet is an absolute mystery to me, Jo Nesbo is a hugely popular crime author now and many including myself would like to be able to read the first two books. I usually leave quite a gap between reading books in a series but I just couldn't wait to get into this one. This is probably a good thing as I have a brain like a colander and tend to forget certain characters and details about the previous story. In no time at all I recalled the main players and how they all fit it, I think that reading The Redbreast before hand is vital, especially when Ellen is mentioned in the story as she frequently is. Trying to avoid spoilers I found myself instantly rooting for Harry again, especially when there is his meeting with Anna Bethsen. This just goes to show how involved with the characters I got in the first book. In place of Ellen in this book is Beate Lønn a shy young police officer who instantly remembers any face that she has seen in her life. There are some parallels between Beate and Ellen but there is enough difference that it doesn't feel like something being rehashed. The returning villain in the piece is Tom Waaler, who is frankly a shhhhhhh bag. As a villain he is a superb character and I found myself constantly wishing for his downfall. The interplay between him and Harry when they both know the other knows more than they are letting on is great and really ratchets up the tension. The story is really face paced with the action coming thick and fast. Despite this there is more than enough meat to it to keep you on your toes. I only have 1 slight criticism and that is the ending is a bit bleh when it comes to tying together the murder of Anna Bethsen. I felt that Nesbo took a way out which was far too fantastical and would rather he took a more conventional route. This is the only issue I had with the story and apart from that, I would have given it 5 stars. I can't wait to read the next in the series, it won't be long until I get round to it. 4/5 (I really liked it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted June 26, 2012 Author Share Posted June 26, 2012 Superfreakonomics by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner Synopsis Here at last is the long awaited sequel to the international bestselling phenomenon, Freakonomics. Steven Levitt, the original rogue economist, and Stephen Dubner have been working hard, uncovering the hidden side of even more controversial subjects, from charity to terrorism and prostitution. And with their inimitable style and wit, they will take us on another even more gripping journey of discovery. Four years in the making, SUPERFREAKONOMICS will once again transform the way we look at the world. It reveals, among other things, why you are more likely to be killed walking drunk than driving drunk; how a prostitute is more likely to sleep with a policeman than be arrested by one; why terrorists might be easier to track down than you would imagine; how a sex change ould boost your salary; and how there really is a cheap fix for climate change. The freakuel is even bolder, funnier and more surprising than its predecessor. With their unflinching analysis Levitt and Dubner overturn received wisdom: looking more deeply, asking more questions and, above all, thinking a little differently. Because sometimes the most superfreaky solution is the simplest. (Taken from Goodreads) My Thoughts I picked this up at my local bookstore without realising that it was the sequel to Freakonomics. I am not aware that there was a TV series and that the first book was a fairly big hit. In my defence I was aware of the authors but only through a series of videos they did on the NFL Network about football based stats. I found the topics and the economics behind the topics hugely fascinating. As the chapters went on I found myself laughing at some of the findings and amazed at others. I know nothing about economics apart from what is covered in the popular media with regards the financial markets. This opened up a whole new world to me, one that I didn't even know existed. As well as the topics being interesting I found the writing style very relaxed and pretty captivating. I would find myself reading a chunk of the book and then coming back to it 20 minutes later to read a bit more. I probably would have finished it in one day had it not been for the fact the I suffer from that most human of afflictions, needing sleep. This would have been a 5 star book for me without doubt apart from 1 gripe which I have. That gripe lies with the chapter on global warming or as they detail it, global cooling. Although it was probably the most interesting of the chapters I couldn't help but feel that the authors had an angle. After reading books by Ben Goldacre I always read anything involving scientific research looking for flaw or angles. This is not because I am distrustful of science it's because of the prevalence of poor of twisted results. The gushing way in which the authors discuss certain individuals involved in global warming research while dismissing others is something that just doesn't sit comfortably. I am sure they would claim that the data backs up their claims and they are looking at the issue with an economists eye instead of a human one. Perhaps if they had taken a less critical approach in the writing of this chapter it would have sat better with me. I just hope that their claims are correct, if so we have little to worry about from global warming. The final chapter is the funniest and all I will say that reading about monkeys using money isn't something I thought would be covered in the book. What they use that money for is even more mind blowing. 4/5 (I really liked it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 Great review, Brian! I've read and loved Freakonomics, and I have Superfreakonomics on my TBR pile. I think all of the general comments you've applied to SF (excuse my laziness) can also be applied to F: fascinating topics, captivating writing style etc. I seem to recall reading reviews that said SF wasn't as good as F. If that's the case, I expect you'll rate F a 5/5! I've just remembered I have two copies of SF: a regular paperback and a special illustrated hardback that I bought for a song. I wonder if the illustrations will add much to the text? Damn, I want to go and read it right now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted July 2, 2012 Author Share Posted July 2, 2012 I shall keep an eye out of Freakonomics then as I found SF so interesting. You wrote a song about SF? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.