Books - Recommendations

First topic message reminder :

I'm currently reading both the Keith Richards autobiography & also Brian Keenan's book 'An Evil Cradling'.

If anyone has read any masterpiece, please share on here as I'm always on the look out for a good book. Thanks.

Just finished with Andy McNab's latest. Enjoyed his series of fiction books, anyone else had a read?

I've got The Affair by Lee Child in my "To Read" pile. Along with many others.

If you like Lord of the Rings and epic fantasy novels you'll love the Shannara books by Terry Brooks brilliantly written and tick all the boxes

Currently reading:

1000 Years of Annoying the French

And got to say its absolutely brilliant, very very funny.

Dicey Reilly wrote:If you like Lord of the Rings and epic fantasy novels you'll love the Shannara books by Terry Brooks brilliantly written and tick all the boxes

He's worth a read as an introduction to the fantasy genre though since all the books tend to follow the same construct but are grouped into 3/4 books per series of characters its best just to read one grouping and move onto something else as everything after is a sad disappointment. For me I'd recommend the the second series of books "Heritage of Shannara" as the best of the bunch of what Brooks has done, the characters are potentially along with the stories the most interesting he managed to produce.

As for a recommendation I'd say "Gates of Fire" Steven Pressfield is a really enjoyable novel and something I read many years ago prior to the release of 300, far more interesting take on the same story and was much more deserving of a film on such a topic.

I would like to recommend

THE LEFT HAND OF GOD - PAUL HOFFMAN

It is the first in a group of books i guess, but it really is a good book. Hard to get into at first, but once it gets going it really is a page turner, a fantasy book with little touches of humour. I can't wait for the next installment.

tigerrobins wrote:I would like to recommend

THE LEFT HAND OF GOD - PAUL HOFFMAN

It is the first in a group of books i guess, but it really is a good book. Hard to get into at first, but once it gets going it really is a page turner, a fantasy book with little touches of humour. I can't wait for the next installment.

If you mean the 2nd book by the next instalment then it was released April this year titled The Last Four Things.

I recently re read Harry's Game.
Quite interesting re living the 'troubles'
Very glad that is all behind us now.

tigerrobins wrote:I would like to recommend

THE LEFT HAND OF GOD - PAUL HOFFMAN

It is the first in a group of books i guess, but it really is a good book. Hard to get into at first, but once it gets going it really is a page turner, a fantasy book with little touches of humour. I can't wait for the next installment.

Read it, and really enjoyed it. Have bought the sequel, but haven't got around to reading it yet...

eirebilly wrote:I am a bit of a fan of boxing, i like watching it but i much prefer reading books about it. I especially like books from the Bar Knuckle era and there are plenty of them. If you can find any books from that era, i would be very interested John.

I am reading a Norwegen book now about a boy who finds a kings buriel mound and is transported back in time and has to adjust to living then. I know it sounds a bit corny but it is actually a very good read. It goes into detail of how they farmed back th, hunted and generally lived. It really portrays hard living conditions.

Hi Billy, there is a book called 'Unlicensed: random notes from boxings underbelly'. Author Jon Hotten. Not actually from that era but one of the most enjoyable books ive read. Its just some short stories some are better than others.

Fists of Fury wrote:Just finished with Andy McNab's latest. Enjoyed his series of fiction books, anyone else had a read?

yeah I liked his earlier Nick Stone books (Crisis Four, Firewall, Last Light), think it's got a great tone for black humour and good/realistic lingo and slang - which you'd expect from an ex-SAS guy.

Haven't read any for a while, and am always a bit wary when I see a new McNab book out, as he uses a lot of ghost writers.

Still a good, entertaining read.

I'd recommend Hitch Hickers Guide to the Galaxy and the Dirk Gently series by Douglas Adams,
the Aberystwyth Mon Amoir/Louie Knight series by Malcolm Price,
IT by Stephen King
The Sleeper Awakes by HG Wells
and some of Roald Dahls adult books (though his kids books are good too)

just got a new amazon kindle fire, need some ideas about what to download. im a big fantasy fan, just finished the last books of game of thrones series and kingkiller chronciles. so fancy another series that will keep me going until the next books are out.

ive been recommended robin hobb's books, anybody read them? any other recommedations would be great

compelling and rich wrote:just got a new amazon kindle fire, need some ideas about what to download. im a big fantasy fan, just finished the last books of game of thrones series and kingkiller chronciles. so fancy another series that will keep me going until the next books are out.

ive been recommended robin hobb's books, anybody read them? any other recommedations would be great

Have you read anything by Tad Williams?

You might like to consider these (thanks to wikipedia)

Memory, Sorrow, and ThornThe Dragonbone Chair (Hardcover 1988, Paperback 1989)
Stone of Farewell (Hardcover 1990, Paperback 1991)
To Green Angel Tower (Hardcover 1993)
Book 3 was split into 2 parts for paperback publication (1994):
To Green Angel Tower, Part 1 and To Green Angel Tower, Part 2 (United States Edition)
To Green Angel Tower: Siege and To Green Angel Tower: Storm (UK edition)
Novelette - The Burning Man (Legends) 1998
Graphic Novel- The Burning man

[edit] OtherlandCity of Golden Shadow (Hardcover 1996, Paperback 1998)
River of Blue Fire (Hardcover 1998, Paperback 1999)
Mountain of Black Glass (Hardcover 1999, Paperback 2000)
Sea of Silver Light (Hardcover 2001, Paperback 2002)
Novelette - The Happiest Dead Boy in the World (Legends II) 2004
[edit] ShadowmarchShadowmarch (Hardcover 2004, Trade Paperback 2005, Mass-Market Paperback 2006)
Shadowplay (Hardcover 2007, Trade Paperback 2008, Mass-Market Paperback 2009)
Shadowrise (Hardcover 2010, Trade Paperback 2010, Mass-Market Paperback 2011).
Shadowheart (Hardcover 2010, Trade Paperback 2011, Mass-Market Paperback 2012).
Similar to the Otherland series that was initially intended to be a trilogy but became a tetralogy instead, Book 3 became so lengthy that it was not possible to be published in one volume.

Alternatively from Stephen Donaldson:

The First ChroniclesLord Foul's Bane (1977)
The Illearth War (1977)
The Power That Preserves (1977)
[edit] The Second ChroniclesThe Wounded Land (1980)
The One Tree (1982)
White Gold Wielder (1983)
[edit] The Last ChroniclesThe Runes of the Earth (2004)
Fatal Revenant (2007)
Against All Things Ending (2010)

cheers teassoc, lots to have a look at there.

i havent read any tad williams either

I didn't really like the Swedish Millennium films and thought they were confusing and didn't let the plot flow (even though I'd read the books), and the English/American version was much better but still lost a lot and missed lots of the story out.

I will add tigerrobins that the Millennium trilogy is a must read

The Millennium Trilogy is excellent. I was one of those people who thought, 'nah, everyone's reading it, it's too populist, can't be bothered' and then I borrowed them from my sister and saw what everyone was raving about.

I've only seen the first film (Swedish version) and it was ok, but not brilliant. Noomi Rapace does a decent job of Salander but the Blomqvist is a bit mediocre.

The Secret Race: Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France: Doping, Cover-ups, and Winning at All Costs by Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle

For those who are cycling fans, or want to know more about the world of doping in general, this is a great read. Tyler Hamilton runs through his career, holding nothing back. The Armstrong revelations are interesting of course, but this isn't just an exercise in Armstrong bashing, it's a "nothing held back" look at the murky world of cycling in the second half of the 90s and first half of the 00s. Doesn't exactly cast the fight against doping in a great light, but I thought it was fascinating stuff.

Agree with MFC, the secret race really is an amazing book. Other books on similar topics such as
The Death of Marco Pantani: A book about one of the most talented riders in the peloton who eventually succumbs to a cocktail of drugs
Bad Blood by Jeremy Whittle Incredible read about the omerta culture in cycling that still exist to this day in terms of doping

Some of my other favourite reads:
Anything by Simon Kernick
Four Kings by George Kimball
Football, Fandom and Facism by Gary Armstrong

I am currently enjoying The Dirtiest Race in History about the 1988 100m final

cats_r_cool wrote:David1061, I too loved The Kite Runner. Have you read A Thousand Splendid Suns by the same author? Excellent read as well.

Haven't read The Kite Runner, but I've seen the film, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Recommended.....

A Question of Security: The British Defence Review in an Age of Austerity

I've just skimmed through the thread so apologies if these have been mentioned. The Rebus series by Ian Rankin had me hooked for about a year, Rebus shows up in Rankins next series, i forget the name of his new character but he deals with police complaints so hardly surprising Rebus is on his radar.

The Bodies Left Behind is a cracker by Jeffrey Deaver.

The Bretheren would be my pick of John Grishams books although i haven't read them all.

Rweading is owverrayted in mye opinyun.

I v never rwead a book in mye liefe never did me ane harrm.

I really fancy reading The Man in the High Castle. 

Anyone read it? Can anyone recommend it?

Lord of the Barnyard by Tristan Egolf.

Jem and Sam (A Revenger's Tale) by Ferdinand Mount

The Hap Collins and Leonard Pine series by Joe R. Lansdale

The Dave Robicheaux novels by James Lee Burke

The Matt Scudder novels by Lawrence Block

The Charlie "Bird" Parker novels by John Connolly

The Harry Bosch novels by Michael Connelly

The Milo and Sugrue novels by James Crumley

Green River Rising by Tim Willocks

The Jesse Stone novels by Robert B Parker

"Fifty gay and lesbian books everybody must read" by Richard Canning..........

Help a few people on here get in touch with their real inner-self.....Did wonders for me ducky!!!

TinRibs wrote:I really fancy reading The Man in the High Castle. 

Anyone read it? Can anyone recommend it?

I've read it, I think it's his best book. Fantastic read, inventive but also finely crafted unlike some of his other work. If you like 'What if?' books with alternative timelines, then it's one of the best. I'd recommend!

Silver wrote:

TinRibs wrote:I really fancy reading The Man in the High Castle. 

Anyone read it? Can anyone recommend it?

I've read it, I think it's his best book. Fantastic read, inventive but also finely crafted unlike some of his other work. If you like 'What if?' books with alternative timelines, then it's one of the best. I'd recommend!

Nice one, cheers. I've never read an alternative history book, but I like the idea and reading the wiki on that book has me very intrigued.

can i suggest my own book? It's  a thriller and i self published it in December and re-published last week. it has had a good reception and would love reviews.


The Warrior

http://amzn.to/14TGB5m
http://amzn.to/YdAftk

thks

cp