| Books and more books 08:34 - May 19 with 7751 views | Glossolalia |
I'm in another reading phase, and about to order a few books online. Any recommendations? I'm mainly looking for 20th century fiction. Thanks  |  | | |  |
| Books and more books on 13:02 - May 19 with 5890 views | GreatBritton |
'Infinite Jest' by David Foster Wallace will keep you going for a month or two. Not recommended for an easy read, however. I've been reading Mick Herron - got through them all in a couple of years. He's twenty first century though. Very witty, well plotted, brilliant characters. And if you haven't read 'A Gentleman in Moscow' (Amor Towles) you should. Best book I've read for many a year. Oh, and an off the wall suggestion, last year's Voices Without Parts, which bills itself as 'a novel in 13 stories'. Quite challenging, but funny as hell. |  | | |
| Books and more books on 13:06 - May 19 with 5890 views | WarwickHunt |
Could you narrow it down a bit? Genres, authors you like... |  | | |
| Books and more books on 13:17 - May 19 with 5880 views | Pegojack |
Stating the obvious, but even if you only have a passing interest in history, the two Booker Prize winners by Hilary Mantel (Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies) are absolutely fab. She's just completed and published the final part of the trilogy, The Mirror and the Light, but I haven't read it yet. |  | | |
| Books and more books on 14:21 - May 19 with 5850 views | WarwickHunt |
| Books and more books on 13:02 - May 19 by GreatBritton |
'Infinite Jest' by David Foster Wallace will keep you going for a month or two. Not recommended for an easy read, however. I've been reading Mick Herron - got through them all in a couple of years. He's twenty first century though. Very witty, well plotted, brilliant characters. And if you haven't read 'A Gentleman in Moscow' (Amor Towles) you should. Best book I've read for many a year. Oh, and an off the wall suggestion, last year's Voices Without Parts, which bills itself as 'a novel in 13 stories'. Quite challenging, but funny as hell. |
Agree with Wallace and Herron. Will give the others a spin.
Recent reads - Ross McDonald (Lew Archer series), Richard Russo (start with Nobody’s Fool - as in the Paul Newman movie or Empire Falls), Richard Stark’s (aka Donald Westlake) Parker series.
Non-fiction: Jazz Standards by Ted Gioia, La Bella Lingua by Dianne Hales (highly recommended if learning Italian) and I’ve just started Third Man To Fatty’s Leg by Steve James. Not usually a fan of sport biographies but this is excellent. | | | |
| Books and more books on 14:56 - May 19 with 5841 views | sP7qupUf |
I had a lot of reading to do in my job so stopped reading for pleasure. since retiring, I have been trying to read all the books that I should have. I have read all of Ian Rankin's Rebus books in order, they are very good if you like crime. I have also read all the James Bond books, better than the films... "From Russia With Love" was the best in my opinion. Just finished "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" again.... Nurse Ratched is really scary!!! |  | | |
| Books and more books on 15:22 - May 19 with 5832 views | londonlisa2001 |
| Books and more books on 13:02 - May 19 by GreatBritton |
'Infinite Jest' by David Foster Wallace will keep you going for a month or two. Not recommended for an easy read, however. I've been reading Mick Herron - got through them all in a couple of years. He's twenty first century though. Very witty, well plotted, brilliant characters. And if you haven't read 'A Gentleman in Moscow' (Amor Towles) you should. Best book I've read for many a year. Oh, and an off the wall suggestion, last year's Voices Without Parts, which bills itself as 'a novel in 13 stories'. Quite challenging, but funny as hell. |
“Infinite Jest' by David Foster Wallace will keep you going for a month or two.“
But you’ll never get that month or two back... You’re a better person that me, I gave up as I was honestly bored.
Agree on the Mick Herron books.
Recent books I’ve enjoyed -
Questions of Travel by Michelle de Kretser ,
Golden Hill by Francis Spufford,
Duveen by SN Behrman
The Shadow of the Sun by Ryszard Kapuściński,
Sea of Poppies by Armitage Ghosh
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth (A re-read - I love this book).
Going through a phase of travel based writing in lockdown! | | | |
| Books and more books on 15:35 - May 19 with 5823 views | Muteswan |
Have you tried ShÅgun by James Clavell ? I read it years ago and also the rest of the series, really enjoyed them, especially ShÅgun. There was a television adaptation but it wasn’t a patch on the book. As usual. |  | | |
| Books and more books on 15:39 - May 19 with 5820 views | Highjack |
| Books and more books on 13:06 - May 19 by WarwickHunt |
Could you narrow it down a bit? Genres, authors you like... |
Just books. Name books. |  |
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| Books and more books on 15:48 - May 19 with 5815 views | WarwickHunt |
| Books and more books on 15:39 - May 19 by Highjack |
Just books. Name books. |
Name books?
Janet and John... | | | |
| Books and more books on 16:08 - May 19 with 5805 views | Highjack |
| Books and more books on 15:48 - May 19 by WarwickHunt |
Name books?
Janet and John... |
Sounds like something Whiterockin would have on the bottom shelf of his bookcase... | |
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| Books and more books on 16:56 - May 19 with 5783 views | Professor |
| Books and more books on 15:22 - May 19 by londonlisa2001 |
“Infinite Jest' by David Foster Wallace will keep you going for a month or two.“
But you’ll never get that month or two back... You’re a better person that me, I gave up as I was honestly bored.
Agree on the Mick Herron books.
Recent books I’ve enjoyed -
Questions of Travel by Michelle de Kretser ,
Golden Hill by Francis Spufford,
Duveen by SN Behrman
The Shadow of the Sun by Ryszard Kapuściński,
Sea of Poppies by Armitage Ghosh
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth (A re-read - I love this book).
Going through a phase of travel based writing in lockdown! |
'A suitable boy' is ideal for lockdown. Takes about six months to read. Longest novel written in English I believe. Good book though. | | | |
| Books and more books on 17:10 - May 19 with 5777 views | londonlisa2001 |
| Books and more books on 16:56 - May 19 by Professor |
'A suitable boy' is ideal for lockdown. Takes about six months to read. Longest novel written in English I believe. Good book though. |
Ha, it’s certainly pretty long. An easy read though.
I first read it when spending a couple of months in India some years ago, before kindle so had to carry it around.
Always takes me back to being there which is why I like rereading it. | | | |
| Books and more books on 18:47 - May 19 with 5724 views | FieryJack |
Nice looking selection there, I have to say.
I used to read at least 2 books a week in my teens and twenties, but unfortunately I've got to that age where, after 4 or 5 pages, I find myself nodding off. By this reckoning it would take me the best part of a year to read these books â˜¹ï¸ |  | | |
| Books and more books on 18:49 - May 19 with 5721 views | londonlisa2001 |
I’ve never seen “Deep Country” before. That looks like the sort of book I absolutely love. I will add that to my list.
Always loved Jack London ever since reading White Fang as a kid. | | | |
| Books and more books on 19:19 - May 19 with 5704 views | dameedna |
Not in your category however if you have not read it I suggest the Elon Musk biography |  | | |
| Books and more books on 19:51 - May 19 with 5678 views | dickythorpe |
| Books and more books on 19:45 - May 19 by WarwickHunt |
I preferred his earlier work. |
He'd reached his peak long before this erotica. |  | | |
| Books and more books on 23:48 - May 19 with 5624 views | Glossolalia |
Thank you all for your suggestions. I've been working most of the day and before I saw your replies, I bought Huxley's Brave New World and Nabokov's Lolita.
Pegojack, yes my interest in history is growing. Listening to the British history podcast on Spotify, and I've just finished James Hawes' The Shortest History of Germany. I'll check Wolf Hall out!
Warwick, as for narrowing it down, I'm open to any fictional work really. Maybe a book that isn't on those '100 best' lists, but that you believe should be!
Lohengrin, I've recently read Orwell's Homage to Catalonia, and his Down and Out in Paris and London, so your suggestions are very much in keeping with my genres of choice recently, thank you! | | | |
| Books and more books on 00:01 - May 20 with 5616 views | DJack |
| Books and more books on 19:51 - May 19 by dickythorpe |
He'd reached his peak long before this erotica. |
I reached my peak on seeing the cover... |  |
| It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. - Carl Sagan |
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| Books and more books on 10:11 - May 20 with 5548 views | WarwickHunt |
| Books and more books on 23:48 - May 19 by Glossolalia |
Thank you all for your suggestions. I've been working most of the day and before I saw your replies, I bought Huxley's Brave New World and Nabokov's Lolita.
Pegojack, yes my interest in history is growing. Listening to the British history podcast on Spotify, and I've just finished James Hawes' The Shortest History of Germany. I'll check Wolf Hall out!
Warwick, as for narrowing it down, I'm open to any fictional work really. Maybe a book that isn't on those '100 best' lists, but that you believe should be!
Lohengrin, I've recently read Orwell's Homage to Catalonia, and his Down and Out in Paris and London, so your suggestions are very much in keeping with my genres of choice recently, thank you! |
Body and Soul - Frank Conroy
Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates ( anything by Richard Yates...)
A Confederacy Of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole (quite possibly the funniest book ever written)
All That Is - James Salter
Underworld USA trilogy - James Ellroy
The Berlin Novels - Christopher Isherwood [Post edited 20 May 2020 10:12]
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| Books and more books on 10:15 - May 20 with 5538 views | londonlisa2001 |
| Books and more books on 10:11 - May 20 by WarwickHunt |
Body and Soul - Frank Conroy
Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates ( anything by Richard Yates...)
A Confederacy Of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole (quite possibly the funniest book ever written)
All That Is - James Salter
Underworld USA trilogy - James Ellroy
The Berlin Novels - Christopher Isherwood [Post edited 20 May 2020 10:12]
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No way!
Body and Soul is one of my favourite books of all time (as a pianist) - I’ve read it ten times or more.
I have never, ever found anyone else who has ever read it. I’ve recommended it to every musician I know over the years. | | | |
| Books and more books on 10:24 - May 20 with 5534 views | WarwickHunt |
| Books and more books on 10:15 - May 20 by londonlisa2001 |
No way!
Body and Soul is one of my favourite books of all time (as a pianist) - I’ve read it ten times or more.
I have never, ever found anyone else who has ever read it. I’ve recommended it to every musician I know over the years. |
Mine too. Never tire of re-reading it. His short stories are superb too,
PS What are you doing for the rest of your life? â¤ï¸ðŸ˜‚ | | | |
| Books and more books on 10:35 - May 20 with 5525 views | londonlisa2001 |
| Books and more books on 10:24 - May 20 by WarwickHunt |
Mine too. Never tire of re-reading it. His short stories are superb too,
PS What are you doing for the rest of your life? â¤ï¸ðŸ˜‚ |
Lol.
The descriptions of the piano studies in the book are just brilliant. And the whole section about how he discovers the opening chord.
But the historical setting stuff as well, his Mum, the cab, the shopkeeper, his Mum’s boyfriend...
In fact, I am going to read it again. Haven’t done so for a couple of years. | | | |
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