Work & Education Hangar Book Club

[eth-dog]

Yep.

On another note I was going to recommend Brian Sanderson to you but then I re read the thread and saw you were onto him. I loved The Stormlight Archive in particular.

Brandon Sanderson? Yeah, I've just started reading the Mistborn series recently.

 

[Max Headroom]

Im not much of a reader, can probably count the amount i have read on two hands, my favorite book is probably brave new word by Huxley but i've read everything Nick Hornby has put out, everything he does resonates with me! I lived in North London where alot of his stories were set, he has the same sporting passions as me, same love of music plus i just love the way he has the ability to detail the abusudity of the male neurosis in such a funny way. Im keen to know how it reads from a female perspective?

and how did he go writing the book from a female perspective in 'how to be good'?

Its gotta be a true testament to the accessibility of a persons writing that a: even i could read all his work, and b: they make such watchable movies, (about a boy, high fidelity, fever pitch, soon to be long way down)

seriously, how funny is high fidelity, i laugh out loud when i read it!

I loved High Fidelity, and I happily will read whatever he writes, even if it is on a subject I know nothing about (like soccer for example). He has a great way of describing the human condition with empathy and humour.

I also enjoyed How To Be Good, although I wasn't quite as swept up by it. I don't think it had anything to do with his characterisation of a woman per se, but I had trouble empathising with all of Katie's choices, and David's transformation seemed kind of unlikely to me. As ever though it was bitingly funny.

 

[Howard Moon]

Reckon every ess fan in here would relate to fever pitch, such a good read too.

 

[Max Headroom]

Louis De Berniers is in town for the Writers Festival, it reminded me how much I enjoyed Captain Corelli's Mandarin.

One of the opening passages where the good doctor removed a pea from the ear of an elderly patient who had put it there in childhood was very funny, brilliantly and evocatively written (like the rest of the novel).

 

[Mercuri Rising]

Louis De Berniers is in town for the Writers Festival, it reminded me how much I enjoyed Captain Corelli's Mandarin.

One of the opening passages where the good doctor removed a pea from the ear of an elderly patient who had put it there in childhood was very funny, brilliantly and evocatively written (like the rest of the novel).

Yum.

 

[Max Headroom]

Yum.

Damned auto correct! Was too busy wondering if I had spelt the author's name right.

Edit: Could also refer to the protagonist's Chinese lessons!

 

[Max Headroom]

In honour of the late, great, Terry Pratchett, some of his best quotes. He passed away in March this year.

Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one

A marriage is always made up of two people who are prepared to swear that only the other one snores

Geography is just physics slowed down, with a couple of trees stuck in it

An education was a bit like a communicable sexual disease. It made you unsuitable for a lot of jobs and then you had the urge to pass it on

The truth may be out there, but the lies are inside your head

Give a man a fire and he's warm for the day. But set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life

Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time

In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods. They have not forgotten this

I once absent-mindedly ordered Three Mile Island dressing in a restaurant and, with great presence of mind, they brought Thousand Island Dressing and a bottle of chili sauce

I didn't go to university. Didn't even finish A-levels. But I have sympathy for those who did

It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life

Only in our dreams are we free. The rest of the time we need wages

The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.

Five exclamation marks, the sure sign of an insane mind

Taxation is just a sophisticated way of demanding money with menaces

The pen is mightier than the sword if the sword is very short, and the pen is very sharp

Most of the great triumphs and tragedies of history are caused not by people being fundamentally good or fundamentally evil, but by people being fundamentally people

It is well known that a vital ingredient of success is not knowing that what you're attempting can't be done

Human beings make life so interesting. Do you know, that in a universe so full of wonders, they have managed to invent boredom

Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying 'End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH', the paint wouldn't even have time to dry

Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of lack of wisdom

The whole of life is just like watching a film. Only it’s as though you always get in ten minutes after the big picture has started, and no-one will tell you the plot, so you have to work it out all yourself from the clues.

It’s not worth doing something unless someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren’t doing it

People don't alter history any more than birds alter the sky, they just make brief patterns in it

I’d rather be a rising ape than a falling angel

If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn’t as cynical as real life

Fantasy is an exercise bicycle for the mind. It might not take you anywhere, but it tones up the muscles that can.

The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they’ve found it

It’s still magic even if you know how it’s done

There are times in life when people must know when not to let go. Balloons are designed to teach small children this

The entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks

Here’s some advice boy. Don’t put your trust in revolutions. They always come around again. That's why they’re called revolutions

If you don’t turn your life into a story, you just become a part of someone else’s story

Evil begins when you begin to treat people as things


Inside every sane person there’s a madman struggling to get out


Most gods throw dice, but Fate plays chess, and you don't find out til too late that he's been playing with two queens all along

Pets are always a help in times of stress. And in times of starvation, too, o'course

Captain Quirke was not actually a bad man; he didn’t have the imagination; but he dealt more in the generalised low-grade unpleasantness which slightly tarnishes the soul of all who come into contact with it – rather like British Rail

Goodness is about what you do. Not what you pray to

The intelligence of that creature known as a crowd is the square root of the number of people in it

They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it's not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance

Time is a drug. Too much of it kills you

It occurred to me that at one point it was like I had two diseases - one was Alzheimer's, and the other was knowing I had Alzheimer's

I commend my soul to any God that can find it

So much universe, and so little time

 

[eth-dog]

Max Headroom are you into that dystopian type fiction? If you are, my favourite one is a series called The Power of Five by Anthony Horowitz. Whilst his Alex Rider books were okay (a bit immature, though), he really grows as a writer throughout this series. I think it is far better than The Hunger Games and Divergent (although I only read the first of that series), but it's less popular because there's no love triangle or whatever.

 

[Max Headroom]

Max Headroom are you into that dystopian type fiction? If you are, my favourite one is a series called The Power of Five by Anthony Horowitz. Whilst his Alex Rider books were okay (a bit immature, though), he really grows as a writer throughout this series. I think it is far better than The Hunger Games and Divergent (although I only read the first of that series), but it's less popular because there's no love triangle or whatever.

A few of my "friends" at high school reckoned they would go through the sci-fi section of the library and try to find books I hadn't read, so yep, sounds good!

I will read most books once, some I'm not proud of though (Mercedes Lackey, esp. her co-authored stuff - I blame it on juvenile hormones). The Hunger Games was ok, a bit too YA, like I am Number 4. Disposable reading that is readily adaptable to the big screen. I would go on but I don't want to lower your opinion of me! In my defence I read some of these after the movie came out, assuming the novels had more to them. Sadly I was mistaken, although the concept behind the Hunger Games was very clever.

Horowitz has written a James Bond novel hasn't he?

 

[Burzum]

Horowitz has written a James Bond novel hasn't he?

Yes, it just came out within the past couple of weeks.

 

[Runk]

Plucked one from the depths here.

So I want to write a kids book. My wife keeps telling me to do it as the stories I tell my girls are fun and imaginative and always in weird voices. I have a knack for accents and weird voices. The Day the Crayons Quit is my fave for doing that.
Has anyone here done it before or at the least know a bit about doing so & could offer advice?

I've no idea where to start?? Have even thought about reading kids books in spare time at the local library in various voices etc.

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

Plucked one from the depths here.

So I want to write a kids book. My wife keeps telling me to do it as the stories I tell my girls are fun and imaginative and always in weird voices. I have a knack for accents and weird voices. The Day the Crayons Quit is my fave for doing that.
Has anyone here done it before or at the least know a bit about doing so & could offer advice?

I've no idea where to start?? Have even thought about reading kids books in spare time at the local library in various voices etc.

Self-publish?

 

[Runk]

Self-publish?

Unsure. If I was to do that I may get seriously out of pocket due to publishing/printing companies wanting a certain order amount. Just need to know where to start (outside of writing the right story).

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

Unsure. If I was to do that I may get seriously out of pocket due to publishing/printing companies wanting a certain order amount. Just need to know where to start (outside of writing the right story).

Yes good point. I am not sure (only have experience publishing in academic journals).

 

[eth-dog]

What?? Did you even read the book/watch the movies??

Snape was a brilliant character.

I'll answer in here because it's the more appropriate place.

Yes. I believed he was on the side of the light and made a huge sacrifice in doing what he did, and was a brilliant and complex character. That however does not make him a nice person. The man was in a position of power and he abused it to favour his own students, whilst outright bullying others. Yes, he was bullied at Hogwarts and that shouldn't have happened, but how about bullying an 11 year old because he looks like his childhood bully? And the overwhelming part of my opinion is thais:

Neville Longbottom. You know, the kid who's parents were tortured into insanity? Wouldn't you think that the men or women who did the torturing would, you know, possibly be the kid's Boggart, the creature that literally turns itself into the person's biggest fear? No. It's Snape. A person who was in a position of power over these students. Snape was an utter bastard, I don't think him loving Lily changes that.

 

[Pweter]

I've recently read a couple of books by David Baldacci, No Man's Land and Deliver Us From Evil.

I've found them really good reading. Fast paced thrillers with twists and turns to keep you guessing.

 

[DERO]

Does anyone have anything good to recommend? I have just finished Mr Clarinet by Nick Stone which wasn't too bad.

 

[sameolds33]

Plucked one from the depths here.

So I want to write a kids book. My wife keeps telling me to do it as the stories I tell my girls are fun and imaginative and always in weird voices. I have a knack for accents and weird voices. The Day the Crayons Quit is my fave for doing that.
Has anyone here done it before or at the least know a bit about doing so & could offer advice?

I've no idea where to start?? Have even thought about reading kids books in spare time at the local library in various voices etc.

Have a look here for another writer's experience in starting out: http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/living-dream-by-barry-jonsberg.html

and here from Andy Griffiths: http://readingforaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/how-i-got-started-as-writer-by-andy.html

 

[Zephyr Spirally]

Does anyone have anything good to recommend? I have just finished Mr Clarinet by Nick Stone which wasn't too bad.

Have you read Peter Temple? The Broken Shore, Truth, or any Jack Irish novel. They're great, and the local aspect makes them more interesting.

Otherwise I like Inspector Montalbano novels by Andrea Camilleri. Translated from Italian but they're readable, entertaining and gripping enough, also quite light, although there's a decent body count. I cannot put them down once I start.

 

[Beerfish]

Does anyone have anything good to recommend? I have just finished Mr Clarinet by Nick Stone which wasn't too bad.

I can't remember the last book I read which is a bit sad. Tex Perkins has just released an autobiography though and I have to admit I'm curious. I think I might read it.

 

[Gumby2Hurley]

Does anyone have anything good to recommend? I have just finished Mr Clarinet by Nick Stone which wasn't too bad.

The Alchemist

 

[DERO]

I can't remember the last book I read which is a bit sad. Tex Perkins has just released an autobiography though and I have to admit I'm curious. I think I might read it.

I have just started reading again and I am enjoying it. Though it is hard to find time. I might grab a copy of that one as well. I read an excerpt from it where he went on a rampage after the Logies and found it quite amusing.
The last autobiography I read was No Irish, No blacks, No dogs by John Lydon which was pretty entertaining.

 

[Highly Evolved]

Does anyone have anything good to recommend? I have just finished Mr Clarinet by Nick Stone which wasn't too bad.

I like most Murakami novels; although, people can find him pretty frustrating to read.

 

[Howard Moon]

has anyone read Huxleys 'island' ?

brave new world is my favorite book, im lead to believe island is its sister novel, written whilst on his death bed where it almost counters BNW's dystopian future with a utopian one.

Trouble is I made the biggest mistake I ever could.. I went and read a few reviews... and as such, I read a few people say they had to slog thru it, and mentioned a few flaws.. which as is my way, ill now be looking for when I read it. Damn! ruined it!

anyhow, can anyone recommend?

 

[Pweter]

Sorry mate, no can do.

More recently when time has permitted I've really been enjoying David Baldacci novels. The last couple I read were End Game and Last Man Standing. Fast paced action/thriller type books.