Recommend a book

[Farmer Jim]

After I finished it I told my missus to read The Road. Whilst reading it she would often wake up in the night and cry! It took a few years before she read any of my recommendations again

I fully understand what you`re missus went through after reading it, as I can still vividly remember reading the end, with tears streaming down my face, my missus saying to me " whats up with you " and having to go out for a walk to clear my head

Despite this, it`s still one of my favourite all time books and every now and again, when I`m " ready ", I`ll re read it.

From reading the works of McCarthy, you can understand why his literature is being studied at degree level in America.

He`s without doubt one of the best writers off all time ( although his last two books, The Passenger and Stella Marris, where self indulgent in extreme and a bit boring tbh )

 

[stupot07]

Just read All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whittaker which was really good. And then read The Chemist by AA Dhand which is also really good.

 

[DawlishSkyBlue]

Wild Houses by Colin Barrett

Just finished this, a first novel by an Irish writer I like. He previously wrote two collections of short stories which were excellent so had really high hopes for this. It was okay, but really just a little bit meh and even clichéd in parts. 6 / 10 for me

Next up Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana

 

[DawlishSkyBlue]

I fully understand what you`re missus went through after reading it, as I can still vividly remember reading the end, with tears streaming down my face, my missus saying to me " whats up with you " and having to go out for a walk to clear my head

Despite this, it`s still one of my favourite all time books and every now and again, when I`m " ready ", I`ll re read it.

From reading the works of McCarthy, you can understand why his literature is being studied at degree level in America.

He`s without doubt one of the best writers off all time ( although his last two books, The Passenger and Stella Marris, where self indulgent in extreme and a bit boring tbh )

Have you read any of his earlier stuff? From the 70s I guess

 

[rob9872]

Is Razzle still going?

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

If you like words then the new Suzy dent book is wonderful

Death writ large and her other one is great too

 

[Farmer Jim]

Have you read any of his earlier stuff? From the 70s I guess

I`ve read them all mate.

I think with his earlier stuff, he was still kind of finding his feet and finding his writing style.

His early stuff is quite " odd " - Sutree in particular.

 

[nightowl1883]

Theo of golden, doesn’t really go anywhere but and good intriguing holiday book

 

[Kneeza]

If you enjoyed this one, I can`t recommend his book- Stalingrad,.

It goes into meticulous detail, about Operation Barbarossa, the German siege and the battle for Stalingrad.

It`s a book by all rights that should be dull and dry, but due to Beevor`s skill as an author and narrator, it`s spell binding reading, as he brings to life absolute hell, carnage and the epic waste of human life on both sides during the battle.

It`s without doubt, the best factual war book I`ve ever read.

His book - Berlin, which chronicles the fall of Berlin to Russia and ultimately the downfall of Hitler and the Reich, is a superb read too.

It's a long time since I read Stalingrad, and it is indeed a tremendous work.
It's probably time I dug it out again.

 

[pitts head]

The Miracle of Castel di Sangro ​

Joe McGinniss​

 

[DawlishSkyBlue]

Wild Houses by Colin Barrett

Just finished this, a first novel by an Irish writer I like. He previously wrote two collections of short stories which were excellent so had really high hopes for this. It was okay, but really just a little bit meh and even clichéd in parts. 6 / 10 for me

Next up Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana

Finished Our Man in Havana this morning. Very good, and in parts very funny. I find you can always rely on Greene. 8/10

Next up will be either All the birds, singing by Evie Wyld or Let the Right One In (someone on here highly recommended it)

 

[Farmer Jim]

Finished Our Man in Havana this morning. Very good, and in parts very funny. I find you can always rely on Greene. 8/10

Next up will be either All the birds, singing by Evie Wyld or Let the Right One In (someone on here highly recommended it)

I`d go for Let the Right One In, over All the Birds Singing.

Both are excellent books, but Let the Right One In, is a modern horror classic ( imo ).

It`s just so beautifully written and will stay with for a long long time after.

( The orginal Swedish film did it full justice too )

 

[DawlishSkyBlue]

I`d go for Let the Right One In, over All the Birds Singing.

Both are excellent books, but Let the Right One In, is a modern horror classic ( imo ).

It`s just so beautifully written and will stay with for a long long time after.

( The orginal Swedish film did it full justice too )

Thanks Jim. Ive ordered both at the same time but in the meantime found another Greene book on the shelf that I've not read (The Honorary Counsel) so have started that. Am off work currently so getting through books a lot quicker

 

[Farmer Jim]

In anticipation of seeing the film this week, just read - The Dog Stars ( Peter Heller )

It`s been compared to Cormac McCarthy`s The Road, which other than it being a post apocalyptic novel, there`s no comparison really.

It`s really well written, but nowhere near as a dark, bleak and brutal as The Road.

Plus as much as there`s some really beautiful descriptive passages in the book, particularly when they`re up in the mountains, no one can hold a candle to McCarthy. In the book, All The Pretty Horses, there`s two whole pages where he describes the sky and it`s just stunning.

The thing that lets the book down, is the ending.

It`s all set up for a grand finale and then it all kind of falls flat.

I`m hoping that the film makes more of fist of the ending.

 

[DawlishSkyBlue]

Thanks Jim. Ive ordered both at the same time but in the meantime found another Greene book on the shelf that I've not read (The Honorary Counsel) so have started that. Am off work currently so getting through books a lot quicker

Finished The Honorary Consul today. Another good book with great characters 8/10. Have really enjoyed everything I have read from Graham Greene but I have picked the titles that seem to be rated his best work. The only thing I didnt like was discovering he was the favourite author of that smug prick David Cameron

 

[skybluejelly]

Ultra processed people ,by Chris van Tulleken , real eye opener about what goes into the food we eat , some of the big corporations out there are real fuckers

 

[DawlishSkyBlue]

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. Fantastic read and edge of the seat stuff. The film was a decent representation of the book.

Survivor by the same author is a great read also

 

[chiefdave]

Ultra processed people ,by Chris van Tulleken , real eye opener about what goes into the food we eat , some of the big corporations out there are real fuckers

There was a doc on BBC about the same thing and it was a real eye opener. Although you kind of already know the general idea some of the specific things being talked about were insane.

There was a guy who worked at Pringles talking about how the can is deliberately designed to be hard to get your hand in because that triggers something in your brain which makes you keep coming back for more and stuff like that.

 

[skybluejelly]

There was a doc on BBC about the same thing and it was a real eye opener. Although you kind of already know the general idea some of the specific things being talked about were insane.

There was a guy who worked at Pringles talking about how the can is deliberately designed to be hard to get your hand in because that triggers something in your brain which makes you keep coming back for more and stuff like that.

Yeah ..just listening to the podcast too..some of the things we actually are eating is frightening

 

[chiefdave]

Yeah ..just listening to the podcast too..some of the things we actually are eating is frightening

Think this was the doc

Irresistible: Why We Can’t Stop Eating

Chris van Tulleken takes a personal view at why ultra-processed foods are so irresistible and how they have come to dominate food culture.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[DawlishSkyBlue]

Just finished this after being recommended on here. Very enjoyable modern horror story; not what I'd normally go for but found it a great read. A real page turner

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

Ultra processed people ,by Chris van Tulleken , real eye opener about what goes into the food we eat , some of the big corporations out there are real fuckers

 

[Farmer Jim]

Just finished this after being recommended on here. Very enjoyable modern horror story; not what I'd normally go for but found it a great read. A real page turner

To me, it`s a modern classic.

The way the author manages to make isolation and loneliness, the driving narrative, rather just being a regular vampire book, requires real writing skill and with an ending that is gut wrenching, rather than horrific too.

I`ve read some of the authors other books and he`s never been able emulate Let The Right One In, which was his first ever published book.

 

[DawlishSkyBlue]

To me, it`s a modern classic.

The way the author manages to make isolation and loneliness, the driving narrative, rather just being a regular vampire book, requires real writing skill and with an ending that is gut wrenching, rather than horrific too.

I`ve read some of the authors other books and he`s never been able emulate Let The Right One In, which was his first ever published book.

I appreciate the recommendation... any other good uns you come across shout them out on here

 

[Farmer Jim]

I appreciate the recommendation... any other good uns you come across shout them out on here

I`m just about to finish a couple which I`ll think you`ll like :

The Parable of the Sower.
The Parable of the Talent.

Both have won bucket loads of awards and a film version of The Parable of the Sower is currently in production.

They`re post apocalypse novels, very intelligently written and not far off the quality of Cormac McCarthys - The Road.

I`ll review them properly once I`ve finished them at the weekend

 

[ajsccfc]

For Palahniuk I'd throw Choke and Pygmy into the mix. I bought Fight Club but didn't see it through because I'd seen the film first and was picturing it which defeats part of the appeal I get from reading.

 

[fernandopartridge]

There was a doc on BBC about the same thing and it was a real eye opener. Although you kind of already know the general idea some of the specific things being talked about were insane.

There was a guy who worked at Pringles talking about how the can is deliberately designed to be hard to get your hand in because that triggers something in your brain which makes you keep coming back for more and stuff like that.

"Food science" is big business. It's frustrating really that we have obvious scientific talent but it is used to increase profits for corporations over doing anything really useful.

 

[Captain Dart]

Think this was the doc

Irresistible: Why We Can’t Stop Eating

Chris van Tulleken takes a personal view at why ultra-processed foods are so irresistible and how they have come to dominate food culture.

www.bbc.co.uk

Found this guy on twitter. He's US based but comes out with some astonishing information on 'food'.

The Food Manufacturing Guy (@TipOfTheBanana) on X

Entrepreneur | Founder | Food Manufacturing CEO | A deep dive into Food Manufacturing, CPG and anything Food Related | Ingredient Breakdowns in Highlights

x.com

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

Found this guy on twitter. He's US based but comes out with some astonishing information on 'food'.

The Food Manufacturing Guy (@TipOfTheBanana) on X

Entrepreneur | Founder | Food Manufacturing CEO | A deep dive into Food Manufacturing, CPG and anything Food Related | Ingredient Breakdowns in Highlights

x.com

I know the shit we allow in our foods is bad, but America is something else.

I think you could argue that the populations of both could sue the government for negligence over what they allow in things like food, as well as things like air pollution. Basically put the lives of the citizens it's their duty to protect at risk for the sake of businesses making money.

When they talk about threats to the population arguably no-ones a greater threat than their own government.

 

[Captain Dart]

I know the shit we allow in our foods is bad, but America is something else.

I think you could argue that the populations of both could sue the government for negligence over what they allow in things like food, as well as things like air pollution. Basically put the lives of the citizens it's their duty to protect at risk for the sake of businesses making money.

When they talk about threats to the population arguably no-ones a greater threat than their own government.

Have you seen the stuff about folic acid supplementation. It's being put in UK flour yet the NHS has warning pages about it for cancer sufferers or anyone with a stent. Anyone with the MTHFR gene may get a build up in the blood stream. There are also claims it's a vitamin but it isn't. The naturally occuring form is folate or vitamin B9 found in a lot of foods (offal, seafood, nuts, dark geen veg, legumes).

 

[Farmer Jim]

If you`re a fan of Cormac McCarthy and his book The Road, then you`ll really like these two books :

Parable of the Sower - Olivia E Butler ( 1993 )

Parable of the Talents - Olivia E Butler ( 1998 )

Considering that Trump wasn`t a thing politically when both of these books were written, the author has written two very prophetic books about the world we live in today.

Parable of the Sower, is set in the mid 2020`s, America has been laid waste by environmental disasters and epidemics, leading to a society that exists in wealth based enclaves, leaving the poor, the handicapped and the sick outside of the walls and all that entails.

The story follows a young girls fight for survival outside of the enclave, after her families homestead is over run by raiders. The girl has a " gift " in that she is able to feel the pain and pleasure of those near to her.

A genuinely outstanding book, that I pretty much read over a weekend and a whisker a way from being as good as The Road - it`s brutal, but doesn`t have the descriptive level of brutality that of The Road has.

Sadly, the follow on book wasn`t as good ( imo ).

The book is set in the mid 2030`s and follows the daughter of the young girl in the first book, after she has set up an off grid peaceful " cult " like commune in the wilderness.

A right wing, Christian based authoritarian government, led by an brutal president is elected and he declares that all faiths bar his extreme
branch of Christianity are now illegal and are to be smashed and their followers to be " converted ".

It doesn`t have the impact of the first book, but was is frightening is how she`s almost mirrored Trump with her brutal and authoritarian president who comes to power, despite Trump being nowhere near politics at the time that book was written.

The first book, Parable of the Sower is in production as a film at the mo.

 

[DawlishSkyBlue]

If you`re a fan of Cormac McCarthy and his book The Road, then you`ll really like these two books :

Parable of the Sower - Olivia E Butler ( 1993 )

Parable of the Talents - Olivia E Butler ( 1998 )

Considering that Trump wasn`t a thing politically when both of these books were written, the author has written two very prophetic books about the world we live in today.

Parable of the Sower, is set in the mid 2020`s, America has been laid waste by environmental disasters and epidemics, leading to a society that exists in wealth based enclaves, leaving the poor, the handicapped and the sick outside of the walls and all that entails.

The story follows a young girls fight for survival outside of the enclave, after her families homestead is over run by raiders. The girl has a " gift " in that she is able to feel the pain and pleasure of those near to her.

A genuinely outstanding book, that I pretty much read over a weekend and a whisker a way from being as good as The Road - it`s brutal, but doesn`t have the descriptive level of brutality that of The Road has.

Sadly, the follow on book wasn`t as good ( imo ).

The book is set in the mid 2030`s and follows the daughter of the young girl in the first book, after she has set up an off grid peaceful " cult " like commune in the wilderness.

A right wing, Christian based authoritarian government, led by an brutal president is elected and he declares that all faiths bar his extreme
branch of Christianity are now illegal and are to be smashed and their followers to be " converted ".

It doesn`t have the impact of the first book, but was is frightening is how she`s almost mirrored Trump with her brutal and authoritarian president who comes to power, despite Trump being nowhere near politics at the time that book was written.

The first book, Parable of the Sower is in production as a film at the mo.

Looks interesting. Just read that the author died young sadly. I will add it to my next book buy.

Currently reading As I Lay Dying by Faulkner. Its early days and I am into it, however the language (1930s southern state USA vernacular) and the fact that all the characters seem to be unreliable narrators is not making it easy!

 

[Farmer Jim]

Resident Evil 2026.

Not a reboot, a remake.

It`s been turned into a gory black comedy horror and is surprisingly good fun, with lots of nods to the original Evl Dead films.

Remove brain and enjoy.

 

[wingy]

Have you seen the stuff about folic acid supplementation. It's being put in UK flour yet the NHS has warning pages about it for cancer sufferers or anyone with a stent. Anyone with the MTHFR gene may get a build up in the blood stream. There are also claims it's a vitamin but it isn't. The naturally occuring form is folate or vitamin B9 found in a lot of foods (offal, seafood, nuts, dark geen veg, legumes).
View attachment 55141
View attachment 55142
View attachment 55143

Just wondering what that acronym stands for?
Mother something?

 

[Mercian In Anglia]

If you`re a fan of Cormac McCarthy and his book The Road, then you`ll really like these two books :

Parable of the Sower - Olivia E Butler ( 1993 )

Parable of the Talents - Olivia E Butler ( 1998 )

Considering that Trump wasn`t a thing politically when both of these books were written, the author has written two very prophetic books about the world we live in today.

Parable of the Sower, is set in the mid 2020`s, America has been laid waste by environmental disasters and epidemics, leading to a society that exists in wealth based enclaves, leaving the poor, the handicapped and the sick outside of the walls and all that entails.

The story follows a young girls fight for survival outside of the enclave, after her families homestead is over run by raiders. The girl has a " gift " in that she is able to feel the pain and pleasure of those near to her.

A genuinely outstanding book, that I pretty much read over a weekend and a whisker a way from being as good as The Road - it`s brutal, but doesn`t have the descriptive level of brutality that of The Road has.

Sadly, the follow on book wasn`t as good ( imo ).

The book is set in the mid 2030`s and follows the daughter of the young girl in the first book, after she has set up an off grid peaceful " cult " like commune in the wilderness.

A right wing, Christian based authoritarian government, led by an brutal president is elected and he declares that all faiths bar his extreme
branch of Christianity are now illegal and are to be smashed and their followers to be " converted ".

It doesn`t have the impact of the first book, but was is frightening is how she`s almost mirrored Trump with her brutal and authoritarian president who comes to power, despite Trump being nowhere near politics at the time that book was written.

The first book, Parable of the Sower is in production as a film at the mo.

Graphic novel also available: Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation