I'm currently reading... Options

[Spook Tooth]

Mundy, I never did get past the slowish beginning of Birdsong, though I did hear some good things about it, so your recommendation that it is full of the horrors of war leads to me thinking that it might be a good read afterall. Hooray for blood and guts!

Also, it's a shame that Dan Brown's other novels don't match his best stuff then. It would be nice to read some more novels blending fiction with more interesting academic themes.

We read 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and 'Of Mice and Men' as part of our English course - top books and it's cool to see they have remained on the class reading list to this day. Both stories have their film adaptations (sometimes more than just one but the black and white originals are best).

I read a little more of that 'Blue Moon' book (also about war), and so have overcome the hardest first hurdle of getting into the book.

We never had blazers at our school, which may explain why I never read much whilst I was in school (no big pockets). Dan, Dan, the sausage man!

[The Ghost of Inept Pig]

Why did everyone else get interesting books to read at school? I would have loved to have read 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and 'Of Mice and Men' - but as it stands they're just currently on my list of books that I hope to read at some point.

Finished both The Complete Sherlock Holmes and 1984 since making this post, have also read the Da Vinci Code - which I thought was interesting, as long as you didn't actually think about the things too much - some of the book was painfully obvious (the identity of The Teacher, for instance) but as a no-brainer - interesting, and easy to read.

I'm currently considering my next books - Arthur and George by Julian Barnes is one I've had recommended to me, as is Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - which apparently is a book that should be read in tandem with 1984, so I may dig that one out.

Other than that the typical list of classics I'm yet to read applies...

[Spook Tooth]

I finished the book I was reading, 'The Blue Noon'. It was a good read and based on true events surrounding this guy's activities as a spy/conman in the Second World War.

Picked up a book from my local Oxfam for a quid. Another John Grisham novel. I enjoyed The Firm and The Runaway Jury but didn't think much of The Judge so I'm hoping this one, The Trial is a little better. Gonna look out for that Birdsong book cheap too - my old copy appears to have gone walkies.

I'd like to read 1984 and Brave New World also, plus anything on those themes really. Watched a docu on Dennis Wheatly last night and it appears the subject of Communism/Totalitarian States etc were very much the theme for many thinkers/writers throughout the 20th Century - amazing to think how hysterical some authors were about it in retrospect, now that it doesn't seem to have been the evil ending of our civiilisation/way of life/the world that it was purported to be.

Now we just have themes on rogues states, global terrorism organisations, environmental mega-destruction, pandemic diseases like HIV, avian flu ushering the end of humanity along with ever present drought and famine to mull over, if not global nuclear war (background issue), extra celestial asteroid/meteor strike etc. No alien invasions, pagan idolatry/satanism or socialism to worry about anymore. Seems our masters always want us to be fearful of something...

[DanMaggot]

As a classic I'd highly recommend All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy. But then I like Copland music and when I read the book I could kind of hear the music running in the back of my brain.

I'm currently trying for a second time Katherine Kerr's "Snare" which at first appearence I took for fantasy, but as I get further into it I wonder if it's in fact Scifi. I just gave up on another of hers - Red Dragon - because life's too short to read stuff you just can't get into 2nd time around.

[Rebel=UK=]

Why did everyone else get interesting books to read at school? I would have loved to have read 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and 'Of Mice and Men' - but as it stands they're just currently on my list of books that I hope to read at some point.

Yeah i read of mice and men, think ive still got it as i didnt take it back. Dont read many books tho.

[Besty]

I am starting to read the lord of the rings again but I got a jeremy clarkston book for christmas and it was a realy good read. For a few of my favourite authors are Robert Ludlum and Mario puzo. I just love reading and have had to give a load of books away to a shop due to a lack of space in my bookcase. I would also recommend Andy McNab and Chris ryan for some good wee reads.

[The Ghost of Inept Pig]

I have just ordered:

The Blue Noon - Robert Ryan
Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation - Lynne Truss
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck "Essentials") - John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath (Steinbeck "Essentials") - John Steinbeck
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Arthur and George - Julian Barnes

So I won't need any more books to read for quite some time... All the Pretty Horses is a potential read, but I may be able to borrow that one instead of cluttering my shelves with more books than I can fit in.

[PilchY]

recently read a jermemy clarkson book... motorworld...

waiting to do a swapsie with hotel babylon now....

[DanMaggot]

Damn. I finished Snare late um this morning (about 3am) and now have nowt to read.

Will go have a butchers on Amazon

[Cataclysm=J]

Damn fine book.

[Slim Jim]

Not strictly a book so apologies, but we watched the first half of the To Kill A Mockingbird today. A lot of the book had been missed out or trimmed down, but it doesn't do a bad job out of representing the main story. (besides of it was just a film version of the whole book it would last for hours..)

[Spook Tooth]

Was it the original black and white version with Gregory Peck? That was the one I remember seeing. Powerful good film still though. :0

Pig, you should've said - I could have lent you 'The Blue Noon'. Hmm, maybe we should have us a little ExG forum bookclub? Mind you, it takes me ages to read books so prolly best no-one lends me anything they want back in a hurry. And I wouldn't lend Pilchy anything - seeing as how he loses everything on his bedroom floor amongst all his dirty socks and cheesebread crumbs, it would be asking for trouble.

[Besty]

You have to do mocking book for eng lit too then lol. It wasnt a bad book to be fair tho

[DanMaggot]

Right. I'm feeling a bit wretched today (something dead in the mouth) having stayed up till 4am to finish a book (a one day reading.....which tells you what an idiot I am and what a good book it was!)

John Connolly - Dark Hollow. http://www.johnconnollybooks.com/novels_dh_reviews.html

From time to time it became a tiny bit full of itself, but mostly it was a cracking and atmospheric read.

Also the hero has the same name as my dog

[The Ghost of Inept Pig]

To summarise my previous purchases:

The Blue Noon - Robert Ryan
Was a great read from start to finish, so good that I'm going to look at Robert Ryan's earlier stuff

Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Supposed to be something of a classic - didn't really strike me as all that great to be honest

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation - Lynne Truss
The reason I now try to use the semi-colon, even though I'm not entirely sure I understand how - good read.

Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
Interesting parallel to 1984, but not as highly recommended.

Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck "Essentials") - John Steinbeck
Very short, very good.

The Grapes of Wrath (Steinbeck "Essentials") - John Steinbeck
I'm currently reading - and not getting very far with because of how busy I currently am at work

To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Fantastic book - recommended to anyone who hasn't read it.

Arthur and George - Julian Barnes
Starts off well, has a lengthy dull middle section and the ending is somewhat lame - not recommended unless you're completely obsessed by the life of Conan Doyle (I'm not)