Favourite books/authors

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TheBrownDog said:
Currently knocking off a few "modern classics"... Recently finished The Catcher in the Rye and have just started The Great Gatsby.

Oh, also recently finished Hells Angels by Hunter S Thompson too. One of his earlier works and there are only the faintest hints of the Gonzo style in it, so it isn't as much fun as Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas but is still a fascinating read. Hunter is (was) the king of evoking the feel of a particular time period or event, even if the reader never experienced it.
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there was a list in the paper 100 books you should read before you die

gatsby was right up there, god that book bored the living crap outta me

hunters stuff is simply amazing, agreed hells is not at the same level, but the guy truly is an icon in literature, and he's one author who i can always imagine him (or depp) actually saying whats written in front of me
 
flight23 said:
hunters stuff is simply amazing, agreed hells is not at the same level, but the guy truly is an icon in literature, and he's one author who i can always imagine him (or depp) actually saying whats written in front of me
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There was one little passage in Hell's Angels that absolutely slayed me when he was talking about the reactions of the neighbours when he invited a bunch of Hell's Angel's to come crash at his house.

"This was a sort of good-natured firepower demonstration, which occured one Sunday morning around three-thirty. For reasons that were never made clear, I blew out my back windows with five blasts of a 12-guage shotgun, followed moments later by six rounds from .44 magnum. Yet the neighbours reacted with total silence. For a while I assumed that some freakish wind pocket had absorbed all the sound and carried it out to sea but after my eviction I learned otherwise".
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Classic Hunter. Only he could make such wanton and gratuitious recreational use of powerful firearms sound perfectly reasonable. ;)

The "For reasons that were never made clear..." bit just kills me.
 
TheBrownDog said:
Bump...

Now that I am no longer a student I can read books for fun again without that nagging "you should be reading about economic reform in South America or essays on Neo-Keynesianism" voice in my head.

Currently knocking off a few "modern classics"... Recently finished The Catcher in the Rye and have just started The Great Gatsby.

Oh, also recently finished Hells Angels by Hunter S Thompson too. One of his earlier works and there are only the faintest hints of the Gonzo style in it, so it isn't as much fun as Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas but is still a fascinating read. Hunter is (was) the king of evoking the feel of a particular time period or event, even if the reader never experienced it.
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If you don't mind telling us, what's your IQ?
 

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lions_den said:
coz you is smart
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Pretty switched on with the English and humanities stuff.

Abysmal at maths... algebra, calculus etc... does my head in.

Have attempted to learn a second language, can't do it.

Absolute devoid of any artistic ability, can't draw, paint, play music, sing...

All balances out along the line.
 
NQlionnut said:
When i was younger was massively into the big fantasy & sci fi novels, ie lord of the rings, dune, Saga of the exiles, thomas covenant etc. Nowadays i mainly read for light entertainmant, but love Neil Gaiman, Stephen Erikson,Lois Mcmaster Bujold & Terry Pratchett. read lots & lots of graphic novels (wife calls them comics, huh what does she know). Recently read The Prestige which was quite different to the movie, best book i have read recently woulfd have to be American Gods by Neil Gaiman and Anansi Boys is also good.:cool:
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Very similar to my tastes, but after 2 decades of sci-fi/fantasy it's got to be very good to hold my interest (latest Thomas Covenant due out in December).
I've also moved onto the classics- Hemingway (surprisingly simple style but enjoyable), Melville's Moby Dick (actually fun once you get into the rhythm of the language), didn't enjoy Dickens as much (not so much characters as caricatures), Anna Karenina quite good. Not sure I'll be able to wade through War and Peace- 500 characters is a little daunting.
Also picked out a book from the New York Times best 10 books of the last 25 years- Don De Lillo's 'Underworld'. Amazing. Easily the best book I've ever read. Plan to motor my way throught the other 9 if they're going to be that good.
 
Favourite books..
Power without Glory...T Hardy
The world according to Garp..& The Hotel New Hampshire....John Irving
Tom Sharpes ...The Wilt series...& Riotous Assembly, Indecent Exposure and Blot on the landscape..

Presently reading a few books chapter here and there..
Jeffrey Gitomer...The Little Red Book of Sales
Team Work...Ray McLean (Leading Teams)
Think Twice..Michael Mauboussin
Immunity to Change..Robert Kegan & Lisa Laskow Lahey
 
_hyphy said:
Just picked up War & Peace from the bookshop for a measly $4. Win.
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How did you go with War & Peace? I read it many years ago when I was quite young and at the time, although I enjoyed it, I don't think I did it justice. I know that may sound a little weird but I've recently re-read some favourites from years gone by - Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles and Silas Marner by George Eliot plus some Jane Austen novels - and I've really enjoyed reading them again. I've some holidays coming up and this just may be the time to re-read W&P with a more mature outlook :)

Not all my reading is from the classics. I do enjoy Michael Connelly's 'Harry Bosch' novels and I'm also quite fond of Robert Crais' private investigator 'Elvis Cole'
 
TheBrownDog said:
Bump...
Currently knocking off a few "modern classics"... Recently finished The Catcher in the Rye and have just started The Great Gatsby.
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Went through a bit of "modern classic" phase myself last year and read both of those. More recently I re-read Neuromancer by William Gibson, and finished off The Name of the Win by Patrick Rothfuss. Almost didn't read it because it was fantasy, but once I got past that I realised it was a brilliant book (highly recommend).
 
I read quite a lot of books last year but have found it difficult to find the time this year.

The last four books I've read (since the summer holidays) have been:
No Country For Old Men - Cormac McCarthy
Point Omega - Don DeLillo
The Sunset Limited - Cormac McCarthy
Screwjack - Hunter S. Thompson

Yes, pretty much all very short! :eek:
 
lol, come to check out whats happening on your board and find this! awesome. the guys i work with cant manage to string words together much less appreciate anything like this.

impressed with some of the novels, just kept going yes! yes! fitzgerald is one of my favourites, gatsby is so simple but amazingly written. notes from the underground is great, but i havent yet picked up any of his other books. they look like alot of work, very engaging. lolita is one of my favourites. on the road by kerouac, valis and almost anything by philip k dick. haruki murakami is one author that i really rate, the wind up bird chronicles is amazing. if i had written that ild be finished, pack up and say thats it, ive done everything ive ever wanted or hoped for lol. camus the outsider. i like a bit of raymond chandler as well.

if anyone has some really good suggestions let me know, ild love to hear.
 

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thanks, ill have a look at it. although ive read fight club and liked that im so so on palahnuik. definately talented but doesnt have that magic that i can find in other writers. you know where a book changes everything for you or you feel infinately better for having read it. keep em coming ive run out of books to read now and i am looking for more ( though brave new world is on my list).
 
TheBrownDog said:
Pretty switched on with the English and humanities stuff.

Abysmal at maths... algebra, calculus etc... does my head in.

Have attempted to learn a second language, can't do it.

Absolute devoid of any artistic ability, can't draw, paint, play music, sing...

All balances out along the line.
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its a funny one... my dad takes next to no interest in literature, and through my reading and general interests im very aware of all types of possibilities and the nature of human behaviour and society and all that stuff. we did that national iq test a while back and came out dead even lol. iq tests just are'nt built for that kind of thing i guess, probably because it has always been rated behind other talents in modern society. i.e., i have friends studying law and science degrees that i couldnt follow a passage from that barely use their brain outside of what they have to. would be the first people to fall for that nigerian hey im sending you my acc details scam as well. seriously.

i didnt even finish school but one of my mates who aced it was doing his driving test, and when the car pulled up at a set of lights ( the instructer using his brake pedal), proclaimed, wow this car is great! it stops by itself!! yeah, intelligence is a funny thing to try to rate.
 
Lmao a book club aren’t you’ll cute I can read but can’t spell I can do anything except spell oh well but that’s not the reason I’m in here though. Anyone know of any good poets no Shakespeare please that reminds of sleeping in class during the old stoner day's.lol
 
I'm a good poet. You might like my stuff.


There once was a man called Mickey.
Who's spelling was rather tricky.
So he cut and he pasted.
To prove life was not wasted
On a board that thought he was thicky.

A teeny weeny chap named Mickey
Had a dickie that was pretty tricky.
To the bank he went,
for money to be spent,
on a girl looking for a quickie.



I generally try and ignore.
Those that I think are so poor.
At reading and writing and
mass debating
but sometimes find myself bored.
 
mickeyblueeyes37 said:
Lmao a book club aren’t you’ll cute I can read but can’t spell I can do anything except spell oh well but that’s not the reason I’m in here though. Anyone know of any good poets no Shakespeare please that reminds of sleeping in class during the old stoner day's.lol
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Even stoners like Edgar Allan Poe.
 
The man called stocka whose prose
has a reputation that grows
with every post
We make a toast
and think about what he knows.


I am still trying to get over someone can actually put s**t on anyone for reading books:confused:.

I do remember though that in the Bears days they did a last book read question and Capper answered Playboy. Claaassy:D
 
John said:
I am still trying to get over someone can actually put s**t on anyone for reading books:confused:.
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Sadly, it's not the first time I've heard those sort of sentiments, even from amongst supposedly intelligent people who are charged with developing the intelligence of future generations.... :confused::(
 
Really you must live a depressed life and may have a depressed wife and your marriage is going down the drain .But sh** I'm not blame so stop trying to chew at my brain cause in the end ill drive you insane, cause you just can’t keep me tame I’m not on here for fame, or to be the cool kid on the block thinking his all cool sitting there on his chair keyboard warrior. Ill stand you out in front of all and make you eat your words and prove who’s really talking the crock sh** you may be educated but when the s**t hits the fan and your own in the cold hearted world money and greed you wont survive two seconds with words like that just like the lions you put everyone down and try an bully your way through and make people like crap feel but in the end you’re a hack and full crap.Try the hero card elsewhere next time people like you learn the hard way.

I just needed a poets name FFS how hard is it don't write them your self cause you suck.
 
Did you meet her at a Betty Crocker convention and get one of her special high heel greets.
Stop pulling my leg that lonely old chess board and bong aren't going to get you far.

Victorians are mean't to be the stuck up one's but you Queenslanders take the cake to much sunshine to your bloody heads explains why they don't win any games.

Ill just Google a few and try not to read nursery rhymes like you.
 
Who's pulling your leg. She the best.

I bought myself a Wonderbra
For fourteen ninety nine,
It looked so good on the model girl's chest,
And I hoped it would on mine,
I took it from the packaging
And when I tried it on,
The Wonderbra restored to me
All I believed had gone

Chorus:
Let's all salute the Wonderbra,
The Wonderbra, the Wonderbra,
Let's all salute the Wonderbra,
For fourteen ninety-nine.

It gave me such a figure,
I can't believe it's mine,
I showed it to my husband
And it made his eyeballs shine,
And when I served the breakfast,
The kids cried out, 'Hooray!
Here comes our darling mother,
with her bosom on a tray!'

I didn't really need one,
my present bra, it's true,
Had only been in constant use
Since nineteen eighty-two,
But the silhouette I dreamed about,
Is mine, is mine at last,
And builders on the scaffolding,
Drop off as I walk past

Chorus:
Singing .. let's all salute the Wonderbra,
The Wonderbra, the Wonderbra,
Let's all salute the Wonderbra
For fourteen ninety-nine!


She played Twin Towns Services club when I was young with Paul Kelly as the support. Great gig.
 
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