The Book Thread

I'm currently ploughing my way through both volumes of Ray Bradbury's short stories (Stories Vol.1 & 2)... nearly all 2000 pages of them!

Bradbury definitely has one of the most transparent, simple and beautiful writing styles around, I heartily recommend him.

Also been reading lots of my old favourites, including Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins and George Orwell.

Originally Posted by cuffy

Just started reading, The first casualty, Ben Elton.
Will give my thoughts on this as and when i finish it.

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.
Didn't think i was going to like this as A) Not a great lover of Ben Elton.
B) I was half expecting his comedy style to come out in the book...couldn't have been further from the truth.
An absolute blinding book, very well written, keeps you gripped from the 1st to last chapter. Highly recommended.

Also just finished "Blood River" by Tim Butcher. Again, Fan-bloody-tastic.

Blood River, subtitled A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart is an account of the journalist Tim Butcher's attempt in 2004 to follow the route first travelled by Henry Stanley in 1876 - 1877. This gripping book, complete with photographs, etchings and hand-drawn maps, charts Butcher's progress along the Congo River, Africa's largest river, from Lake Tanganyika in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west.

This is not an uplifting book, but it is a revealing one. It challenges the complaisance of the west not by ranting, but by presenting a picture of how badly broken the “heart of Africa” really is, and how this detrimentally affects the continent of Africa as a whole. The book raises questions rather than answering them, and the resolution of Butcher's journey is certainly not mirrored by any pretence of resolution for the Congo, but that is as it should be for a travel book which reveals more than the reader is comfortable with knowing about the enormous problems of a forgotten state.

Originally Posted by cuffy

Also just finished "Blood River" by Tim Butcher. Again, Fan-bloody-tastic.

Blood River, subtitled A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart is an account of the journalist Tim Butcher's attempt in 2004 to follow the route first travelled by Henry Stanley in 1876 - 1877.

If you liked that and wanted soemthing slightly more light hearted try:

Red Tape and White Knuckles: One Woman's Motorcycle Adventure Through Africa By Lois Price


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Red-Tape-Whi...6532798&sr=8-1

I really enjoy Wilbur Smith books, historical based fiction. Lots of war, sex and great characters.

River God, Warlock and Seventh Scroll all link in with each other. I often find myself totally lost in my imagination reading them...quite good fun

[Swin]

Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett. A great medieval story.
World Without End, based 300 years or so after Pillars of the Earth, a bit samey but still good. They both have some very naughty bits in them too!

Reading "Ash, a Secret History" at the moment, I like medieval fiction

Originally Posted by Rai86

Lots of war, sex and great characters.

Try the Ben Elton one i read, it's got all that and more.

Anything by William Horwood - Duncton Chronicles, Wolves of Time, Stonor Eagles - a bit like Lord of the Rings meets Watership Down.

And Clan of the Cave Bear series by Jean M Auel, fantastic!

[Swin]

The Duncton ones sound familiar - are they the ones about moles?
If so, yes they are very, very good

The Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson
Sounds daft,it is... and slightly disturbing. Ronson is an investigative journo who decided to look into the US army using psychic techniques.

Some of the highlights for me: Uri Gellar is a US army spy, US generals walking into walls and a shed full of de-bleated goats on a US army base


Anything by Tom Sharpe - absolutely hilarious

Next one is Dead Spy Running by Jon Stock
The first of three books. Supposed to be exceptionally good. Similar story to the Bourne films. My Dad works with the author and got me a free copy. The film rights have already been sold to Warner and the first book only came out last week!

Not a massive sci fi fan but...
Excession
Consider Phlebas
Look to windward
The player of games

all by Iain m banks, or

The old man and the sea by Earnest Hemingway, very simple writing style, doesn't waste a word, also

Down to a sunless sea, written about 30 years ago about the crew and passengers of a 747 trying to escape to the southern hemisphere after an all nuclear war in the north, brilliant