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The book thread

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My favorite;

Tolkien - Hobbit/LOTR.
Picked up the Hobbit when i was 11 and was lost in the world he created loved it ever since and have to read it at least once a year.

What am I reading now?

Philip Pullman - His Dark Materials. Was recommended to me and enjoying the 1st book so far.

Recommendations;
Greig Beck - Alex Hunter series. Kind of a mix between techno thriller/horror and an Arni film.
Enjoyable romps that are never dull. An Aussie to.

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James Ellroy is my favourite author. The LA noire trilogy and the trilogy on the mafia/JFK was awesome.

Currently reading Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King. Haven't read it for years. Enjoying it.

Recomendations - anything. Just pick a book and go for it.


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Whats your favourite book or book series?
Tough one, can't pick between three Katherine Kerr's Deverry series, Asimov's Foundation series and Anne Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series.

What are you reading right now?
Bill Bryson's Down Under for the third time

Any recommendations?
Magician - Fiest
The Last Stand - King
Stranger in a Strange Land - Heinlein
I Robot - Asimov
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Heinlein
 

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AFL related
"A Game of our own" Geoffrey Blainey
Cant recomnend highly enough if you want to understand the roots of Aussie Rules. A couple of surprising things is the oldest clubs, Melbourne and Geelong, are older than any other clubs in the world. Another to me is there is no link with Gaelic Football.

I'm a huge fan of Geoffrey Blainey and he's done more to educate me on history than school ever did. I've read everything he's ever published I could get.
I know he gets a wrap as a racist but anyone whose ever read "Triumph of the Nomads" knows it's bullshit.
I see him as a bit like Germain Greer, been there done that and with the T-Shirt to prove it, and refusing to conform.

Paul Roos Autobiography beyond 300 I found had some interesting information but was a bit self indulgent, as Autobiography's tend to be.

Non-fiction

Jonah Lehrer- A Neuroscientist and his book " How we make decisions" and to a lesser extent "Imagine" were a real eye opener to me in how our brains work and what "human nature" is.
From left field "The rise and fall of the Roman Empire" taught me a lot about Human Nature as well.

I went through a stage in my 40's when I realised I had a real weakness in the interpersonal interactions area particukarly at work, and that being right didn't cut it unless you had support from authority. I got a reading list on Psychology to broach an area I never had before. From that the most overarching book and the most practical help came from a book called "The structure of personality" that I'd recommend to anyone attempting an informal understanding. It addresses illness and the DSM4 manual but has a lot of practical data and increased my understanding muchly.

Fiction

Favourite Book
"Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut. Obvious

Not everything by Kurt Vonnegut but at his best he is hilarious and informative in a deeply cynical way.

Everything by Douglas Adams is right up there as well

Anyone who hasn't read Batavia by Peter Fitzsimons Should in my view a great and shocking read. Also taught me about the trade winds and how and why this part of the world was discovered by Europeans in a way that school largely failed to do.:D Because I wasn't interested to be fair.

I read a lot of historical fiction as well and "Dunstan by Conn Iggleton was the last. Great read

Lastly next book will be "More important than life or Death" Peter Fittzsimons and Greg Crowden which I have just bought.
 
Whats your favorite book or book series?

LotR and The Dark Tower

What are you reading right now?

SPQR - Mary Beard (bit old Rome history)

Any recommendations?

Been getting into more non-fiction lately. Love Aussie history by Geoffrey Blainey. Also enjoy Richard Dawkins.

Edit: Note Bokonon a big fan of Blainey too. Good to see another fan. Beautiful writer and so well researched.
 
Currently (re)reading River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay - can recommend any and all of his books (start with either Tigana or Lions of Al Rassan and don't miss the Sarantine Mosaic)

I'm also listening to the audiobook of American Gods by Neil Gaiman - again an author you can pick any of his books and you can't possibly go wrong. If you only ever read one graphic novel series in your life, make sure it's Sandman.
 
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General Giant said:
My favorite;

Tolkien - Hobbit/LOTR.
Picked up the Hobbit when i was 11 and was lost in the world he created loved it ever since and have to read it at least once a year.
Click to expand...

LotR is the book I always come back to for a re-read. I don't often re-read books but I'm always willing to sit down with LotR. At one point I was averaging a re-read a year, though that's dropped off in the last decade or so.

General Giant said:
What am I reading now?

Philip Pullman - His Dark Materials. Was recommended to me and enjoying the 1st book so far.
Click to expand...

The first one was good but I struggled and failed to get through the second one. Just ended up in the "who cares" pile.

Determinant said:
Whats your favourite book or book series?
Tough one, can't pick between three Katherine Kerr's Deverry series, Asimov's Foundation series and Anne Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series.

What are you reading right now?
Bill Bryson's Down Under for the third time

Any recommendations?
Magician - Fiest
The Last Stand - King
Stranger in a Strange Land - Heinlein
I Robot - Asimov
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Heinlein
Click to expand...

Other than King I'm 100% on this list. The Deverry series is tough - 23 years of books, and all the rebirthing, etc, made it such a struggle to keep straight but was still very enjoyable.

_GT_ said:
Whats your favorite book or book series?

LotR and The Dark Tower

What are you reading right now?

SPQR - Mary Beard (bit old Rome history)
Click to expand...

I've just gotten recommending SPQR through a Goodreads group and a general interest in Roman history so I'm interested in your opinion of it.

I've been going a bit crazy this year with reading - I've downgraded some stuff and started picking up books again, and the combination of that and using a couple of local library systems has seen me rack up 109 books so far this year after not reading much for several years.

The big hits/discoveries have been N. K. Jemisin's two series, Pratchett's Wee Free Men series and Django Wexler's Shadow Campaigns (plus a fair handful of interesting non-fiction books).
 
Been watching a show called "Longmire". It's based on a series of books called "the Walt Longmire mysteries". The bleak, cold mountainous scenary has me interested in trying a book or two out.


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dlanod said:
LotR is the book I always come back to for a re-read. I don't often re-read books but I'm always willing to sit down with LotR. At one point I was averaging a re-read a year, though that's dropped off in the last decade or so.



The first one was good but I struggled and failed to get through the second one. Just ended up in the "who cares" pile.



Other than King I'm 100% on this list. The Deverry series is tough - 23 years of books, and all the rebirthing, etc, made it such a struggle to keep straight but was still very enjoyable.



I've just gotten recommending SPQR through a Goodreads group and a general interest in Roman history so I'm interested in your opinion of it.

I've been going a bit crazy this year with reading - I've downgraded some stuff and started picking up books again, and the combination of that and using a couple of local library systems has seen me rack up 109 books so far this year after not reading much for several years.

The big hits/discoveries have been N. K. Jemisin's two series, Pratchett's Wee Free Men series and Django Wexler's Shadow Campaigns (plus a fair handful of interesting non-fiction books).
Click to expand...
Beard has an engaging style of writing and really like listening to her docos (these are often on SBS). She doesn't just recount history, its sources and throw in anecdotal stories to fill in gaps. As a renowned academic in the area she offers realistic analysis of what is known and brings in the political intrigue on a personality level where she can. Just the most compressive single book On the topic that I can think of.
 
dlanod said:
using a couple of local library systems
Click to expand...

Good to see. More people need to use libraries. The books are free, all you have to do is give them back when you're finished.

I might also recommend that people recommend to aged parents and grandparents the huge variety of both Large Print books and Audiobooks (on CD or MP3) available at local libraries (or through an interlibrary loan from the State Library).

Help keep me employed people!:)
 
Ichabod Noodle said:
Good to see. More people need to use libraries. The books are free, all you have to do is give them back when you're finished.

I might also recommend that people recommend to aged parents and grandparents the huge variety of both Large Print books and Audiobooks (on CD or MP3) available at local libraries (or through an interlibrary loan from the State Library).

Help keep me employed people!:)
Click to expand...

I'm not driving out to f@#$ing Penrith to use the library.

Also, $17.50 for a interlibrary loan from the State Library is crazy. :confounded: Might as well buy a book.

Hornsby Library charging $2 for any reservation is also a bit on the crazy side.
 

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dlanod said:
I'm not driving out to f@#$ing Penrith to use the library.

Also, $17.50 for a interlibrary loan from the State Library is crazy. :confounded: Might as well buy a book.

Hornsby Library charging $2 for any reservation is also a bit on the crazy side.
Click to expand...

Don't work at Penrith Library. I catalogue for a library supply company that supplies audiovisual and large print material to libraries from Innisfail to Busselton (though I think Hornsby buy from those evil - and excessively expensive - bastards at Bolinda)

Oh well...
 
Ichabod Noodle said:
Don't work at Penrith Library. I catalogue for a library supply company that supplies audiovisual and large print material to libraries from Innisfail to Busselton (though I think Hornsby buy from those evil - and excessively expensive - bastards at Bolinda)

Oh well...
Click to expand...

Ryde and Parramatta are my two local libraries. Zero complaints about either of them - I love taking my daughter down to Epping Library as it's open until 9pm weeknights which is incredibly convenient. It just happens that Hornsby had a couple of books I wanted that the others didn't, and are the ones that are worth a complaint about their crazy reservation charge.
 
dlanod said:
Also, $17.50 for a interlibrary loan from the State Library is crazy. :confounded: Might as well buy a book.
Click to expand...


Interestingly the SL policy on interlibrary loans of alternative format materials (LP and TB) is

  • Library materials are loaned to NSW public libraries free of charge and it is expected that no charges will be passed on to the public for access to these items.
Click to expand...

But the standard costs of any other interlibrary loan is $16.50
 
Anyone looking to buy books should use bookdepository.com as it has bargain prices

Bought a collectors edition LOTR, Hobbit, Silmarillion and newest edition of atlas of middle earth.

Also my DC comics collection will shame most people's attempts at a collection
 
Also consider second-hand books if you don't mind them. You can typically get a second hand book for around $5-8.

https://www.awesomebooks.com/ (ships from UK) - doesn't have a wide range as the other two though
https://www.betterworldbooks.com/ (ships from US) - have had a great experience with them, took 3 weeks for my order. They have a great range, always seem to have the books I want. And all purchases go towards a very good cause as well
https://www.thriftbooks.com/ (ships from US) - shipping takes nearly a month, but their customer service is great. Gave me refunds on two occasions for books that took longer than expected to deliver, one package didn't arrive at all but was given refund already

Otherwise, if I can find it on bookdepository.com and it's at a reasonable price then I'll get it from there.
 

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coniglio_number1 said:
Anyone looking to buy books should use bookdepository.com as it has bargain prices

Bought a collectors edition LOTR, Hobbit, Silmarillion and newest edition of atlas of middle earth.

Also my DC comics collection will shame most people's attempts at a collection
Click to expand...
Booko.com.au searches most of the top Aussie and overseas sites and gives the best price including postage for each.
 
Thank you to
Ichabod Noodle, Gigantic and _GT_
I'm always looking for new corners in reading and tend to lack the patience in online groups to figure out whose opinions to listen to. Bit of a shortcut here because I already have some idea from post history.

I have read SPQR and good read

I have started reading Tigana and am far enough in to know I will be working my way through his books for a while.
A new author is very valuable to me.
I've read the comments on Tolkien and I've always felt I should like his books but I just dont.
I do like Fantasy and Raymond Feist, David Eddings, Stephen Donaldson and William Horwood are favourites.
I am waiting for delivery of "Reclaiming Patriotism" but looking forward to reading it from the research.

Lastly I'm conservative and use Booktopia and have done for many years. I chose them as local company and subject to NSW consumer law. I have to say the service is excellent and I've never been motivated to look around. Generally it's two days for common books and they use Aust Post which works for me because I live alone and can collect from a nearby shopfront when necessary. Once when I ordered a hard to find Biography of Sun Yat Sen and it took 2 months. Obtained from some obscure bookshop in New Orleans. It arrived with minor scuffs on the cover and they offerred return and refund or a 50% discount. I kept it but appreciated the trust.
 
Booktopia is easily the best Aussie retailer, and I've tried plenty. They used to offer free pickup from their head office which was just down the road from my work, but alas no longer. :( However they still offer free delivery if you use booko.com.au to visit their site after searching on a title.
 
Bokonon_ said:
Thank you to
Ichabod Noodle, Gigantic and _GT_
I'm always looking for new corners in reading and tend to lack the patience in online groups to figure out whose opinions to listen to. Bit of a shortcut here because I already have some idea from post history.

I have read SPQR and good read

I have started reading Tigana and am far enough in to know I will be working my way through his books for a while.
A new author is very valuable to me.
I've read the comments on Tolkien and I've always felt I should like his books but I just dont.
I do like Fantasy and Raymond Feist, David Eddings, Stephen Donaldson and William Horwood are favourites.
I am waiting for delivery of "Reclaiming Patriotism" but looking forward to reading it from the research.

Lastly I'm conservative and use Booktopia and have done for many years. I chose them as local company and subject to NSW consumer law. I have to say the service is excellent and I've never been motivated to look around. Generally it's two days for common books and they use Aust Post which works for me because I live alone and can collect from a nearby shopfront when necessary. Once when I ordered a hard to find Biography of Sun Yat Sen and it took 2 months. Obtained from some obscure bookshop in New Orleans. It arrived with minor scuffs on the cover and they offerred return and refund or a 50% discount. I kept it but appreciated the trust.
Click to expand...
Have digested a bit of S Donaldson over the years. Can be brutal. The Gap series was exhausting.
 
_GT_ said:
Have digested a bit of S Donaldson over the years. Can be brutal. The Gap series was exhausting.
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Thats the strange thing I lose myself in his writing and teack of time. With Tolkien I have to consciously concentrate on every sentence.
 
Bokonon_ said:
Thats the strange thing I lose myself in his writing and teack of time. With Tolkien I have to consciously concentrate on every sentence.
Click to expand...
I agree. Donaldson is very engaging and pulls you along the the storyline, often at speed. It is his harrowing themes of perversion in some series that I find exhausting. Tolkien tells a great tale, but often gets lost painting out the scene, the set piece battle or contextual history. Ok if you like the detail.
 

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