Books completed (and general book talk)

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duskvstweak
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Re: Books completed (and general book talk)

Post by duskvstweak »

Spoiler: show
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo
Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live by James Andrew Miller
The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time by John Kelly
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
This Weightless World by Adam Soto
Red Nails by Robert E. Howard
14 Ways to Die by Vincent Ralph
Nature's Warnings: Classic Stories of Eco-Science Fiction by Mike Ashley
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr
The Unincorporated Man by Dani Kollin and Eytan Kollin
There There by Tommy Orange
The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman
Ghost Species by James Bradley
All the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie
The Employees by Olga Ravn
Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
Suburban Dicks by Fabian Nicieza
A House at the Bottom of a Lake by Josh Malerman
Salvation Day by Kali Wallace
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
Only Birds Above by Portland Jones
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
The Whisper Man by Alex North
We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen
Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan
The Last Days of the Dinosaurs by Riley Black
How to Be Fine by Jolenta Greenberg & Kristen Meinzer
May reading
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondō
The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly
The Story of the Dinosaurs in 25 Discoveries by Donald R. Prothero
Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy

Tidying Up really does have an effect and my closet and book shelf got a hatchet taken to them. The Great Zoo of China annoyed the heck out of me. Don't be a Jurassic Park ripoff and then comment on how everything is like Jurassic Park in your story. It's not meta, it's stupid. I washed that bitter taste down with 25 Discoveries which was a good dino-fact read. No idea why I read the Clancy book, other than it was on my shelf and I needed to read it to get rid of it.
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Re: Books completed (and general book talk)

Post by duskvstweak »

Spoiler: show
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo
Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live by James Andrew Miller
The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time by John Kelly
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
This Weightless World by Adam Soto
Red Nails by Robert E. Howard
14 Ways to Die by Vincent Ralph
Nature's Warnings: Classic Stories of Eco-Science Fiction by Mike Ashley
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr
The Unincorporated Man by Dani Kollin and Eytan Kollin
There There by Tommy Orange
The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman
Ghost Species by James Bradley
All the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie
The Employees by Olga Ravn
Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
Suburban Dicks by Fabian Nicieza
A House at the Bottom of a Lake by Josh Malerman
Salvation Day by Kali Wallace
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
Only Birds Above by Portland Jones
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
The Whisper Man by Alex North
We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen
Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan
The Last Days of the Dinosaurs by Riley Black
How to Be Fine by Jolenta Greenberg & Kristen Meinzer
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondō
The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly
The Story of the Dinosaurs in 25 Discoveries by Donald R. Prothero
Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy
June Reading
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart
Travels Michael Crichton
Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002 by David Sedaris
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
The Rise and Reign of the Mammals by Stephen Brusatte

Long month, some of these feel like I read them forever ago. The Final Girl Support Group was entertaining but I'm not a fan of the climax. I really hope I'm done with Scalzi because he might be the author I've read the most of while liking him the least. The Paradox Hotel felt like a waste of a good concept. Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002 was very entertaining but could have been about a 1/3 shorter. The Rise and Reign of the Mammals is just as good as The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs though it's a bit sadder because humans are involved and we suck.
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Re: Books completed (and general book talk)

Post by RinseWashRepeat »

I've been meaning to check out that Grady Hendrix book. Heard him on The Last Podcast on the Left and he seemed like a cool guy. Can't remember the last time I read any horror too.

Speaking of which, I've been trying to expand what genres I'm reading. So I read 'Ordinary People' by Diana Evans. It's a romance-drama type thing. You know, relationships, families and what not. Can't say I loved it, but felt it was well written.

Next on my list is - I'm not sure. Something totally different. Maybe a biography? I think the last biography I ever read was Mick Foley's. Which was great!
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Re: Books completed (and general book talk)

Post by duskvstweak »

Spoiler: show
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo
Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live by James Andrew Miller
The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time by John Kelly
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
This Weightless World by Adam Soto
Red Nails by Robert E. Howard
14 Ways to Die by Vincent Ralph
Nature's Warnings: Classic Stories of Eco-Science Fiction by Mike Ashley
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr
The Unincorporated Man by Dani Kollin and Eytan Kollin
There There by Tommy Orange
The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman
Ghost Species by James Bradley
All the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie
The Employees by Olga Ravn
Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
Suburban Dicks by Fabian Nicieza
A House at the Bottom of a Lake by Josh Malerman
Salvation Day by Kali Wallace
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
Only Birds Above by Portland Jones
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
The Whisper Man by Alex North
We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen
Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan
The Last Days of the Dinosaurs by Riley Black
How to Be Fine by Jolenta Greenberg & Kristen Meinzer
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondō
The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly
The Story of the Dinosaurs in 25 Discoveries by Donald R. Prothero
Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart
Travels Michael Crichton
Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002 by David Sedaris
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
The Rise and Reign of the Mammals by Stephen Brusatte
July Reading
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Star Wars: Brotherhood by Mike Chen
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
They Shouldn't Have Killed His Dog: The Complete Uncensored Ass-Kicking Oral History of John Wick, Gun Fu, and the New Age of Action by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman

Lite month, though the Steve Jobs books is a long one. I think I like reading about the 70s/80s beginnings of home computing because they seemed so damn optimistic that it was gonna change the world for the better. Not their fault they couldn't predict Twitter... The John Wick book is sort of whatever since the series is still going and the production of the films seems to have smoothly compared to other movie shoots. And having read We Could Be Heroes and his take on a Star Wars story, I think I can say I'm not a fan of Mike Che's writing.
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Kez86
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Re: Books completed (and general book talk)

Post by Kez86 »

Highly recommmend the Red Rising trilogy by Pierce Brown for anyone who is a fan of Sci-Fi. Very big in its scale but brilliantly written with some cracking twists along the way.
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Re: Books completed (and general book talk)

Post by Truk_Kurt »

duskvstweak wrote: August 1st, 2022, 9:29 pm
Spoiler: show
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo
Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live by James Andrew Miller
The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time by John Kelly
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
This Weightless World by Adam Soto
Red Nails by Robert E. Howard
14 Ways to Die by Vincent Ralph
Nature's Warnings: Classic Stories of Eco-Science Fiction by Mike Ashley
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr
The Unincorporated Man by Dani Kollin and Eytan Kollin
There There by Tommy Orange
The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman
Ghost Species by James Bradley
All the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie
The Employees by Olga Ravn
Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
Suburban Dicks by Fabian Nicieza
A House at the Bottom of a Lake by Josh Malerman
Salvation Day by Kali Wallace
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
Only Birds Above by Portland Jones
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
The Whisper Man by Alex North
We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen
Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan
The Last Days of the Dinosaurs by Riley Black
How to Be Fine by Jolenta Greenberg & Kristen Meinzer
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondō
The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly
The Story of the Dinosaurs in 25 Discoveries by Donald R. Prothero
Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart
Travels Michael Crichton
Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002 by David Sedaris
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
The Rise and Reign of the Mammals by Stephen Brusatte
July Reading
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Star Wars: Brotherhood by Mike Chen
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
They Shouldn't Have Killed His Dog: The Complete Uncensored Ass-Kicking Oral History of John Wick, Gun Fu, and the New Age of Action by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman

Lite month, though the Steve Jobs books is a long one. I think I like reading about the 70s/80s beginnings of home computing because they seemed so damn optimistic that it was gonna change the world for the better. Not their fault they couldn't predict Twitter... The John Wick book is sort of whatever since the series is still going and the production of the films seems to have smoothly compared to other movie shoots. And having read We Could Be Heroes and his take on a Star Wars story, I think I can say I'm not a fan of Mike Che's writing.
I remember lending the Steve Jobs book from the library but like you said, it's very long and ultimately its length stopped me getting through it. I read about half of it though and it was interesting to read. I think in the end I put it down as it got to a point where I was wanting to read something else. Unfortunately I can only read one book at a time.
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Re: Books completed (and general book talk)

Post by duskvstweak »

Truk_Kurt wrote: August 4th, 2022, 9:56 am
duskvstweak wrote: August 1st, 2022, 9:29 pm
Spoiler: show
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo
Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live by James Andrew Miller
The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time by John Kelly
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
This Weightless World by Adam Soto
Red Nails by Robert E. Howard
14 Ways to Die by Vincent Ralph
Nature's Warnings: Classic Stories of Eco-Science Fiction by Mike Ashley
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr
The Unincorporated Man by Dani Kollin and Eytan Kollin
There There by Tommy Orange
The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman
Ghost Species by James Bradley
All the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie
The Employees by Olga Ravn
Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
Suburban Dicks by Fabian Nicieza
A House at the Bottom of a Lake by Josh Malerman
Salvation Day by Kali Wallace
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
Only Birds Above by Portland Jones
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
The Whisper Man by Alex North
We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen
Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan
The Last Days of the Dinosaurs by Riley Black
How to Be Fine by Jolenta Greenberg & Kristen Meinzer
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondō
The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly
The Story of the Dinosaurs in 25 Discoveries by Donald R. Prothero
Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart
Travels Michael Crichton
Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002 by David Sedaris
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
The Rise and Reign of the Mammals by Stephen Brusatte
July Reading
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Star Wars: Brotherhood by Mike Chen
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
They Shouldn't Have Killed His Dog: The Complete Uncensored Ass-Kicking Oral History of John Wick, Gun Fu, and the New Age of Action by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman

Lite month, though the Steve Jobs books is a long one. I think I like reading about the 70s/80s beginnings of home computing because they seemed so damn optimistic that it was gonna change the world for the better. Not their fault they couldn't predict Twitter... The John Wick book is sort of whatever since the series is still going and the production of the films seems to have smoothly compared to other movie shoots. And having read We Could Be Heroes and his take on a Star Wars story, I think I can say I'm not a fan of Mike Che's writing.
I remember lending the Steve Jobs book from the library but like you said, it's very long and ultimately its length stopped me getting through it. I read about half of it though and it was interesting to read. I think in the end I put it down as it got to a point where I was wanting to read something else. Unfortunately I can only read one book at a time.
After he leaves Apple the first time, the book slows down and can be a bit of slog. It really depends on how interested you are in his time with Pixar. The last third of the book is about his return to Apple, but because that was so successful vs. the beginning growth, it sort of becomes just a check list of "they made the iMac, they made the iPod, they made iTunes..." and all to great success.
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Re: Books completed (and general book talk)

Post by Seph »

I wanted a bit of a murder mystery to keep me occupied and gave Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz a go.

I like the book within a book concept and while I don't think it was taken as far as it could have (The Haunted Book by Jeremy Dyson did this idea much better), I thought the various mysteries and developments did enough to make this a worthwhile read. If I had any problem, it's that, while the book is well written and a lot of fun, Horowitz is not as clever as he thinks he is. The final revelation was a little underwhelming considering the build and I think reasons for the murder were a bit shallow. It's great if you want a bit of Midsomer Murder-esque fluff to get you through an uneventful weekend.
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Re: Books completed (and general book talk)

Post by Seph »

Ronan Hughes wrote: April 3rd, 2022, 5:24 pm I start reading Ulysses by Irish writer James Joyce. I tried to read this modernist novel several times already, but the maximum reached the third chapter. This time I want to read to the end, no matter how long it takes me. It is a very complex book and interesting for me because I am writing a dissertation on modernism in literature. I received a dissertation help online and it helped me to actually complete the last two sections of my research.
An old post, but I only just noticed this. Ulysses is legit my favourite book, which people think I'm saying to be pretentious or different; but I think it's the greatest piece of writing I've ever seen. The story itself is very simple, but mix of styles and voices is incredible. The final chapter, while difficult to read at first, is amazing and the best example I've seen in written language of capturing just how someone's thoughts actually work. My favourite chapter though is the Q&A one, as it's incredibly fun. I think I read somewhere that it was Joyce's favourite too, and you can really see it. It isn't a book for everyone, but I encourage everyone to at least give it a go.
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Re: Books completed (and general book talk)

Post by duskvstweak »

Spoiler: show
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo
Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live by James Andrew Miller
The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time by John Kelly
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
This Weightless World by Adam Soto
Red Nails by Robert E. Howard
14 Ways to Die by Vincent Ralph
Nature's Warnings: Classic Stories of Eco-Science Fiction by Mike Ashley
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr
The Unincorporated Man by Dani Kollin and Eytan Kollin
There There by Tommy Orange
The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman
Ghost Species by James Bradley
All the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie
The Employees by Olga Ravn
Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
Suburban Dicks by Fabian Nicieza
A House at the Bottom of a Lake by Josh Malerman
Salvation Day by Kali Wallace
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
Only Birds Above by Portland Jones
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
The Whisper Man by Alex North
We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen
Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan
The Last Days of the Dinosaurs by Riley Black
How to Be Fine by Jolenta Greenberg & Kristen Meinzer
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondō
The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly
The Story of the Dinosaurs in 25 Discoveries by Donald R. Prothero
Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart
Travels Michael Crichton
Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002 by David Sedaris
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
The Rise and Reign of the Mammals by Stephen Brusatte
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Star Wars: Brotherhood by Mike Chen
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
They Shouldn't Have Killed His Dog: The Complete Uncensored Ass-Kicking Oral History of John Wick, Gun Fu, and the New Age of Action by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman
August Reading
Universal Harvester by John Darnielle
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Today I Am Carey by Martin L. Shoemaker
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak
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Re: Books completed (and general book talk)

Post by Truk_Kurt »

Is anyone here on Goodreads? If you are, give me a follow and I will give you one back :)

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/76316125-kurt-lewin
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Re: Books completed (and general book talk)

Post by Seph »

I'm almost through The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer. Technically I'm not reading it as I have the audio version, but I couldn't resist the chance to hear him read it as he's so easy to listen to. While it's not a work of high art literally genius, I think it's great as a grounded mystery story and I like the characters he creates. He's definitely based them on people he knows and a lot of the conversations on ones he's had.

It's also a lot more serious than I expected. There are some funny lines and jokes, but they don't get in the way of the story. I'm not sure if the main plot is based on the Daniel Morgan murder, but there's a lot of similarities there and I think Bob was friends with him so it makes sense to me.

It's worth a read if you like this sort of thing and if you're a fan of Bob (which should be most people, surely). It's no worse than the stuff that Pointless bloke shits out every year.
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Re: Books completed (and general book talk)

Post by Truk_Kurt »

I've been reading a lot of books so far this year, it's basically come as a result for binning off Twitter before bed and replacing it with reading. I binned Twitter on the 23rd December and have finished 4 books since then. So far this year I've finished the below which I'll keep updated. Aplogies that a lot of these won't interest anyone as I love footballer books but there will be some fiction in there such as my latest read.

1. Mark Clattenberg autobiography: Whistleblower 8/10
2. James Milner: Ask a Footballer 7/10
3. David Coulthard Autobiography: It is What it is 7/10
4. Batman Year One (thanks Alex79UK) 7/10

5. Malice
What a superb book this was. This is only the second Japanese crim fiction book I've read after Bullet Train and it has now become my favourite fiction book of all time. The way it is written, as various revelations come about through various characters notes and statements was really cool and unique. I felt myself being gripped throughout and piecing theories together in my head as I read about what was happening/had happened.

Shout out to Mathhew Castle from the BackPage Podcast for bringing this genre to my attention, can't wait to check out more from this author and some of the other recommendations from the Japanese crime fiction BPP XL episode. 10/10
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Re: Books completed (and general book talk)

Post by duskvstweak »

Truk_Kurt wrote: January 6th, 2023, 9:10 am Is anyone here on Goodreads? If you are, give me a follow and I will give you one back :)

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/76316125-kurt-lewin
Yes! Followed!
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Re: Books completed (and general book talk)

Post by Alex79 »

Truk_Kurt wrote: February 9th, 2023, 9:57 am 4. Batman Year One (thanks Alex79UK) 7/10
7/10!! Haha, it's one of the all time greats! :lol:

Seriously though, do you think you'll read any more Batman? If you're interested, I'd start with Court Of The Owls by Scott Snyder, then go from there.
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Re: Books completed (and general book talk)

Post by Angry_Kurt »

Alex79 wrote: February 10th, 2023, 6:38 pm
Truk_Kurt wrote: February 9th, 2023, 9:57 am 4. Batman Year One (thanks Alex79UK) 7/10
7/10!! Haha, it's one of the all time greats! :lol:

Seriously though, do you think you'll read any more Batman? If you're interested, I'd start with Court Of The Owls by Scott Snyder, then go from there.
To be honest no, I don’t know what it is but I just don’t find reading comics/graphic novels that enticing compared to a book, which I know doesn’t make much sense as they both include reading. I also thought I got through Year One really quickly, only took me about 45 minutes and personally I’m not someone who does things twice with very rare exception, I’ve never read a book once and can count on one hand the number of games I’ve played more than once. Films probably the exception but even then there’s very few I’ve seen more than once. My point being that when I’ve looked in book shops, these graphic novels are quite expensive, more expensive than books but I don’t think they’re great value if I read them in 30 minutes to an hour and then never touch it again. Just a personal preference though.
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Re: Books completed (and general book talk)

Post by Rhaegyr »

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

An 'inverted' detective story dealing with the effect a murder has on a group of classics students, both before and after. One of the most well-paced novels I've ever read - by the last fifty pages I was utterly absorbed and had to stop myself from read ahead. Some great character work and a style of writing I found really immersive.

Fantastic stuff.
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Re: Books completed (and general book talk)

Post by ratsoalbion »

Rhaegyr wrote: February 13th, 2023, 12:06 pm The Secret History by Donna Tartt
I still haven't read this, but I remember back in the 90s my then girlfriend would take multiple copies from the bookshop storeroom where she worked to dish them out to pretty much everyone she knew.
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Re: Books completed (and general book talk)

Post by Truk_Kurt »

Rhaegyr wrote: February 13th, 2023, 12:06 pm The Secret History by Donna Tartt

An 'inverted' detective story dealing with the effect a murder has on a group of classics students, both before and after. One of the most well-paced novels I've ever read - by the last fifty pages I was utterly absorbed and had to stop myself from read ahead. Some great character work and a style of writing I found really immersive.

Fantastic stuff.
Added to my goodreads list
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Re: Books completed (and general book talk)

Post by Alex79 »

Angry_Kurt wrote: February 11th, 2023, 8:22 am
Alex79 wrote: February 10th, 2023, 6:38 pm
Truk_Kurt wrote: February 9th, 2023, 9:57 am 4. Batman Year One (thanks Alex79UK) 7/10
7/10!! Haha, it's one of the all time greats! :lol:

Seriously though, do you think you'll read any more Batman? If you're interested, I'd start with Court Of The Owls by Scott Snyder, then go from there.
To be honest no, I don’t know what it is but I just don’t find reading comics/graphic novels that enticing compared to a book, which I know doesn’t make much sense as they both include reading. I also thought I got through Year One really quickly, only took me about 45 minutes and personally I’m not someone who does things twice with very rare exception, I’ve never read a book once and can count on one hand the number of games I’ve played more than once. Films probably the exception but even then there’s very few I’ve seen more than once. My point being that when I’ve looked in book shops, these graphic novels are quite expensive, more expensive than books but I don’t think they’re great value if I read them in 30 minutes to an hour and then never touch it again. Just a personal preference though.
Fair points. It usually takes me a lot longer to get through them, mainly because I'm so easily distracted. I have read entire graphic novels in one sitting before, but it's rare. I tend to view them more as nice things to own primarily, and the actual reading of them, whilst I love that, comes second - otherwise I'd just purchase digital comics which are normally much cheaper. I don't pay out for much physical stuff, haven't bought a film or music album on disc for years, and even games are mostly digital these days, so comics are my one... I don't know, luxury, if you like.
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