Good Holiday Read Wanted

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Tas
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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by Tas » 3rd Jul, '12, 11:52

50SofG: Scanned a few pages so far, haven't got to any juicy bits, but I tell you now, it reads like bad teenager shit, I'd rather try reading the Twilight stuff. And have made the recommendation the mother goes home with Lady Chatterley's Lover, and say, here if you want to explore, at least have a crack at something like this with a bit of historical and intellectual interest to it :) And said to mama to give the book back, if the daughter is half bright she'll realise how dumb it is pretty quickly, you can't prevent an 18yr old from some basic exploration - but I have to check through a bit more apparently haha.
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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by daffodil » 3rd Jul, '12, 15:07

Research Tas, such a noble thing for you to do :lol:
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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by Tas » 3rd Jul, '12, 15:33

I thought so.

And back to the holiday read, up to my 5th (6th?) Michael Rowbotham this last weekend and still pretty happy with the author

BTW are you more open minded to what might just be considered slighly chick lit Spike? I've really enjoyed the Phyrne Fisher series, I actually own all 18 of the series - http://www.phrynefisher.com/books.html. I don't see why a fellow couldn't enjoy the books - they're a whip through read, and I like all the characters.
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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by nev » 3rd Jul, '12, 20:58

daffodil wrote:On the subject of Shades of Grey - has anyone read it ? I hadn't heard about it until the other day...but at lunch yesterday there were several ladies admitting to reading it !
I picked up the ebook out of curiosity, read two chapters and gave up before my brain started leaking out of my ears. It's in a genre of its own: stupid, horribly written erotica. Don't waste your time. I enjoy trashy novels every now and then, but 50 Shades is just beyond moronic. It's like reading a self-loathing teenage girl's diary, liberally peppered with vapid inner musings and silly exclamations (holy shit!!! holy cow!!! repeat 1000 times). [smilie=23_3.gif] [smilie=23_3.gif]

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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by daffodil » 3rd Jul, '12, 21:44

:lol: Nev, will give it a miss then!
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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by nev » 3rd Jul, '12, 22:51

From Kooky's flowchart, I really liked Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, a little depressing for a holiday read though.

If you liked Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, I'd recommend Medium Raw. He's still full of angst but oh so much fun to read.

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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by Sardonicus » 3rd Jul, '12, 22:54

Hmmm....maybe just a matter of opinion, I never found him indulgent as a player, and in his book he mentions the self-indulgence to some that was Progressive Rock in the 70s was something didn't feel right with and one reason he left Yes just as they were gaining momentum. But +1 on his work with three of KC's incarnations.

I've got most of what he's played on and have seen him live a few times, he's actually part machine he's such a precise musician. I'm not too familiar with his Earthworks efforts, haven't heard it in years.

The Keith Richards book is a must read, and very well done.

Wakeman is very self-effacing and that comes across in his book, Squire doesn't take himself too seriously either. The triple-neck monstrosity he only played on a few tours.
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Sardonicus wrote:The Bill Bruford autobio which is self indulgent and florid, and Rick Wakeman's Futher Adventures of A Grumpy Old Rock Star, which I'm really enjoying.
In his defense, Bill Bruford's drumming is a bit self indulgent and florid, but I think his work on the 80s King Crimson lineup is outstanding. The Rick Wakeman book sounds funny, his whole wizard thing is the saddest rock cliche until you get a load of Chris Squire's fricken octuple-necked bass penile-extension guitar.

Has anyone read the Keith Richards biography? I'm almost scared to :lol: but could make for a great holiday read!
Edit: ssppeloing
2nd edit: revised my response
Last edited by Sardonicus on 3rd Jul, '12, 23:04, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by Sardonicus » 3rd Jul, '12, 22:57

Medium Raw is pretty good and displays the difference in years improvment over KC. I read them as I was just starting to watch his shows, which I liked but grew tired of him after a while. Not so sure about the angst, I think he's more full of himself.
nev wrote:From Kooky's flowchart, I really liked Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, a little depressing for a holiday read though.

If you liked Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, I'd recommend Medium Raw. He's still full of angst but oh so much fun to read.
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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by nev » 4th Jul, '12, 09:59

daffodil wrote::lol: Nev, will give it a miss then!
Good call, you won't regret it.

Here's Ellen Degeneres' take on the book [smilie=rotflmao.gif]

Last edited by nev on 4th Jul, '12, 12:30, edited 3 times in total.

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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by Morrolan » 4th Jul, '12, 10:56

Redshirts by John Scalzi. (Star Trek fans will know what/who the subject of this book is..)

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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by Duck » 4th Jul, '12, 13:42

daffodil wrote::lol: Nev, will give it a miss then!
Me too! :lol:
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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by Kooky » 4th Jul, '12, 16:07

I'm quite envious of you all, as I just don't seem to have the space in my brain or energy to read anything at the moment.

Bugger this working lark :(

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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by Tas » 4th Jul, '12, 16:10

Oi, I work! sorta
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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by Sardonicus » 4th Jul, '12, 21:28

I find that if I don't read something non-work related before bed, I just can't switch off and work stuff keeps working its way into my head.
Kooky wrote:I'm quite envious of you all, as I just don't seem to have the space in my brain or energy to read anything at the moment.

Bugger this working lark :(
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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by nev » 5th Jul, '12, 10:18

Sardonicus wrote:I find that if I don't read something non-work related before bed, I just can't switch off and work stuff keeps working its way into my head.
Ditto. I go through at least two non-fiction books a week to keep me from dreaming in XML.

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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by Tas » 5th Jul, '12, 10:33

same same
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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by Kooky » 5th Jul, '12, 15:42

Maybe I should try it, I'm not a great one for clearing my mind.

Then again, contract runs out in two weeks' time :)

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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by Spike » 6th Jul, '12, 08:27

Off to the airport this morning and after all the recommendations, the Keith Richards biography sounds like it could be an entertaining romp. The next challenge is to find it in the airport book shop. Au revoir.
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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by daffodil » 14th Jul, '12, 11:57

2012 recommendations from The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/interac ... nteractive

Will be hunting out the new Pat Barker, really enjoyed her previous novels.
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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by Tas » 29th Aug, '12, 09:39

Spike, this brief interview reminded me ( http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ ... r-20120315 ) Did you pick up the Keith Richards bio and how did you go?


hahahaha just read some of the total wanker comments on that Guardian weblink Daff posted earlier, some of them are too busy being up their own arses to be either correct, give a decent simple summer book read, or notice it's an english newspaper which I'm not sure why it has to be carried away with non english language books, pretty sure a Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Indonesian, Dutch newspaper probably has it's own book desk articles if they want to chase down those papers. ( I wish I did speak Dutch and French, some of the books and films that come out of those areas of Europe I would LOVE to be able to pick up instead of waiting for translations, and would happily flick over their reviews :) )
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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by Spike » 31st Aug, '12, 09:09

Tas wrote:Spike, this brief interview reminded me ( http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ ... r-20120315 ) Did you pick up the Keith Richards bio and how did you go?
Sadly I wasn't able to find any of the recommended books at the airport and ended up buying what turned out to be a totally crap novel about an intended terrorist plot to disrupt the Olympic games. Written by an American who had probably never been to England or even met an English person, he totally stereotyped English people and the way they speak with excruciating inaccuracy. I got half way through it and then binned it. Spent the rest of my idle hours on holiday watching Downton Abbey, Band of Brothers or Red Dwarf on my iPad.
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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by Lili Von Shtupp » 31st Aug, '12, 10:13

Spike wrote:
Tas wrote:Spike, this brief interview reminded me ( http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ ... r-20120315 ) Did you pick up the Keith Richards bio and how did you go?
Sadly I wasn't able to find any of the recommended books at the airport and ended up buying what turned out to be a totally crap novel about an intended terrorist plot to disrupt the Olympic games. Written by an American who had probably never been to England or even met an English person, he totally stereotyped English people and the way they speak with excruciating inaccuracy. I got half way through it and then binned it. Spent the rest of my idle hours on holiday watching Downton Abbey, Band of Brothers or Red Dwarf on my iPad.
We Americans have that same problem with each other. I can't tell you how many times I've had to turn off a movie because of some heinous Hollywood attempt at a New York accent. It's really a peeve for me.
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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by Tas » 31st Aug, '12, 11:34

I love the Southern accent on TV. At least you had a good set of viewing Spike.
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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by Spike » 31st Aug, '12, 21:32

Tas wrote:At least you had a good set of viewing Spike.
I did indeed. Didn't miss the book at all [smilie=rules.gif]
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Re: Good Holiday Read Wanted

Post by sluggo » 31st Aug, '12, 23:31

Southern accents on TV are often over done. The best job of an accent I've seen was by the British actor Dominic West in the Wire who pulled off a great Baltimore accent.
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