I don't know if this has been done before, but I just had to start this thread - 'cos I love reading.
Has anyone ever read The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman by Bruce E. Robinson? Man, this is probably the funniest book I've ever read (pee your pants, roll around on the floor funny). If you enjoy reading - do yourself a favour and get this one.
Have you got any ideas for other cool (off centre comedy) books?
I enjoy Hunter S. Thompson (check out the clans forum under the Gonzo clan if you also like HST), Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams
Originally posted by CrowleyYou should read Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, beautiful books and you should ask Andrew (latex bishop) he knows many books!😏
I don't know if this has been done before, but I just had to start this thread - 'cos I love reading.
Has anyone ever read The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman by Bruce E. Robinson? Man, this is probably the funniest book I've ever read (pee your pants, roll around on the floor funny). If you enjoy reading - do yourself a favour and get this one.
...[text shortened]... ut the clans forum under the Gonzo clan if you also like HST), Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams
Olav
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Originally posted by LivingLegendI always find you need the right book for the mood you are in or the place you find yourself. I would love to try and work my way through War and Peace, but unless I get a few years in prision for tax fraud I doubt I will find the motivation.
You should read Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, beautiful books and you should ask Andrew (latex bishop) he knows many books!😏
Olav
The best written book I have read in the last year or so is "Memoirs of a Geisha", its a thick book but the words do flow off the page and it leaves you with a vivid picture of a very different Japan.
"fight Club" and "Survivor" by Chuck Palahiuk are both exceptionally good, but I found "Invisable monsters" and "choke" a bit flat in comparison.
If you want to go for something along the line of LOTR but a bit more bleak and mature I would recommend the 1st and 2nd Chronicles of Thomas Covernant by Stephen Donaldson.
If you like James Bond - read the books by flemming for a very different kind of spy comes accross in these - "the spy who loved me" is really good as it is written from the perpective of a woman caught up in a gun fight between Bond and the Mafia in a motel.
As for Hunter S Thompson, the Rum Diary is a traditional story, but I prefer his stuff like "the great shark hunt" which is a collection of 30 years of published articles - 1/3 of the book is all about watergate and how much he hates Nixon.
But if I was going to recommend one I would say to Americans, read Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby and it may give you an insight into why the rest of the world follow football so pationately, or You can not go wrong with the Diceman by Luke Rhienhart or anything Phillip K Dick wrote.
Andrew
I think HST's Fear and loathing in Las Vegas has to be his best work - I bought it as a present for my buddy. I started reading it but couldn't stop, and I ended up finishing it in about 4 hours. Best 4 hours I've ever spent reading.
Stephen Donaldson is a decent novalist. I read the gap series - freekin' brilliant.
The pride of my collection has to be Dune by Frank Herbert. As far as fiction goes, I tend to lean towards fantasy more than sci-fi, but I found the book so absolutely captivating that I won't say how many times I have read it for fear of sounding more disturbed than usual. While we're on fiction though, my top reccommendation for fantasy has to be the Dragon Lance Chronicles.
Some good ones I've read lately are:
Harvest of Rage: an insightful look into the US farmers of the midwest plight and how it has its roots in the formation of the militias in the midwest and the infamous Oklahoma City bombing.
Confessions of a B Movie Actor: an auto biography by Bruce Campbell. One of the least known actors you've probably seen a dozen times. Not your typical bio from an actor, the "other" side of Hollywood as seen through the rare "middle class" actor who made it, but not to super stardom. A great blend of good humored stories and poignant principles.
Way of The Peaceful Warrior: biography of fiction? Written by Dan Millman, whatever you believe in the book is true life and what is fantasy is irrelevant. The great messages about being human and living to your potential with open eyes kept me spellbound. Beautiful work by an open mind.
I'd have to say the Dune changed my life.
FEAR IS THE MINDKILLER.gotta love it. Reading stephen king's Christine at the moment. This man has a sense of humor. awesome writer. gotta say that he writes about people and the plot only really kicks in half way through the book. some of the most interesting characters i've read about.
not really into scifi/fantasy per se these days, but still love some of the more off-centre ones: Black Easter by James Blish, VALIS by Philip K Dick (and lots more of his too), A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay, Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. The best classic fantasies I've read (and I hate trilogies) are the Dying Earth series by Jack Vance, and the Swords series by Fritz Leiber.
I also like Borges (fave author ever), Kafka, some Dostoyevsky (haven't read C&P yet, and I lost my copy of Karamazov half way through. Conrad, EM Forster, Greene.
Japanese: Tanizaki, Endo, Mishima
Also, it's worth while reading Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.
Ok, better stop now...😉
I just finished A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole and found it very enjoyable. An interesting set of subplots and a sardonic wit kept me engaged throughout the novel's course.
And if you have the requisite patience to read a book and use two bookmarks, I'd highly recommend David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest.