What Books Are People Reading Now ?

[BookMan]

you don't mean what I think you mean Bookman

I think I do mean what you think I mean Eddie

[BookMan]

11.22.63 Stephen King

An intriguing premise:

11/22/63 is a novel by Stephen King about a time travelerwho attempts to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy which occurred on November 22, 1963 (the date of the novel's title).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/11/22/63

Have you finished reading it? How was it?

[BuddhistVirus]

Dead Souls - Nikolai Gogol

Free ebook link http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1081

One of the greatest classics.

Dead Souls is a feverish anatomy of Russian society and human wiles.

First published in 1842, and widely regarded as an exemplar of 19th-century Russian literature. Gogol himself saw it as an "epic poem in prose", and within the book as a "novel in verse". Despite supposedly completing the trilogy's second part, Gogol destroyed it shortly before his death. Although the novel ends in mid-sentence (like Sterne's Sentimental Journey), it is usually regarded as complete in the extant form.

Edited July 25, 2012 by BuddhistVirus

[GarryP]

11.22.63 Stephen King

An intriguing premise:

11/22/63 is a novel by Stephen King about a time travelerwho attempts to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy which occurred on November 22, 1963 (the date of the novel's title).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/11/22/63

Have you finished reading it? How was it?

Not yet finished but an engaging read. Actually, referring to the leading character as a "time traveller" may be a little misleading. He goes back to a specific time, which is several years before the title date, and is unable to travel to other time.

Anyway, he has woven an intriguing tale. I am two thirds through the book (I only read travelling to and from work) and he has yet to get to the title date.

[David006]

....christ there is so much excellent literature out there eh guys??.... which when young is boring <deleted>..gonna get me an e book...... recommendations ?? Do they they have dictionaries/thesaurus inbuilt as my vocabulary is not what it should be when they quote/use Latin and French and lotsa big words et al.

Wish I could live so long to read it all...

The more you read it seems that there is so much more to read methinks....

Big fan of historical novels meself........

[edwinclapham]

....christ there is so much excellent literature out there eh guys??.... which when young is boring <deleted>..gonna get me an e book...... recommendations ?? Do they they have dictionaries/thesaurus inbuilt as my vocabulary is not what it should be when they quote/use Latin and French and lotsa big words et al.

Wish I could live so long to read it all...

The more you read it seems that there is so much more to read methinks....

Big fan of historical novels meself........

I have the Sony E reader and it works well for me.. I am sure Kindle lovers will be equally enthusiastic with their purchases as well.

The SER has a dictionary , movable font, a variety of languages, great battery life.. I am able to download straight away from the libraries throughout WA (Oz) and also all London libraries through my membership FOC.

http://www.sony.com.au/productcategory/bk-reader

Couldnt be without it now seriously.

[DMC1]

....christ there is so much excellent literature out there eh guys??.... which when young is boring <deleted>..gonna get me an e book...... recommendations ?? Do they they have dictionaries/thesaurus inbuilt as my vocabulary is not what it should be when they quote/use Latin and French and lotsa big words et al.

Wish I could live so long to read it all...

The more you read it seems that there is so much more to read methinks....

Big fan of historical novels meself........

Just got a Kindle last month. Comes with dictionaries already in there, multiple languages. Battery life is amazing. Used it for 3 weeks offshore every evening & it's still over 1/4 full.

Some great recommendations one here - just downloading the Brentford trilogy!! I like historical novels too, never thought I would until I tried one, great stuff...

[BookMan]

Here is a comparison review of ten e-readers:

http://ebook-reader-review.toptenreviews.com/

Kindle Fire is very popular in US now. Not sure if you can get it in Thailand.

When I get one myself, I'd like something like the Kindle Fire that I can also use as a tablet computer device.

Purely from a reading point of view, I can say I don't mind the shift away from paper based reading. I prefer not to have clutter all about me. (I used to have 15,000 books)

It makes it so much easier to access hard to find titles and you can have instantaneous downloads. There is a huge array of places you can access free titles, as Eddie pointed out, the libraries, also torrent download sites, lots of free titles that have come off copyright also.

[DMC1]

If you want to read books mainly then I wouldn't buy the Kindle Fire as it is more of a tablet. Basic Kindle is perfect size and no temptation to keep flicking over to check emails or whatever social networking you may be into. When I'm reading I like to be in the zone!!

[BookMan]

If you want to read books mainly then I wouldn't buy the Kindle Fire as it is more of a tablet. Basic Kindle is perfect size and no temptation to keep flicking over to check emails or whatever social networking you may be into. When I'm reading I like to be in the zone!!

That's a good point. I am very easily distracted and I would definitely be flicking between things.

However, i do like the idea of having a minimal amount of devices

[David006]

If you want to read books mainly then I wouldn't buy the Kindle Fire as it is more of a tablet. Basic Kindle is perfect size and no temptation to keep flicking over to check emails or whatever social networking you may be into. When I'm reading I like to be in the zone!!

That's a good point. I am very easily distracted and I would definitely be flicking between things.

However, i do like the idea of having a minimal amount of devices

okay so there is Kindle fire..what else ...must be many out there?..can anyone recommend best ...least expensive..need to buy one for me and one one for wife..are any limited to download source options? My sis in Europe says some are..how much should one expect to pay? What should I be looking for..?

Thx

d

[David006]

....christ there is so much excellent literature out there eh guys??.... which when young is boring <deleted>..gonna get me an e book...... recommendations ?? Do they they have dictionaries/thesaurus inbuilt as my vocabulary is not what it should be when they quote/use Latin and French and lotsa big words et al.

Wish I could live so long to read it all...

The more you read it seems that there is so much more to read methinks....

Big fan of historical novels meself........

Just got a Kindle last month. Comes with dictionaries already in there, multiple languages. Battery life is amazing. Used it for 3 weeks offshore every evening & it's still over 1/4 full.

Some great recommendations one here - just downloading the Brentford trilogy!! I like historical novels too, never thought I would until I tried one, great stuff...

Have you read Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth and World Without End..(14 century? England)...excellent

[DMC1]

If you want to read books mainly then I wouldn't buy the Kindle Fire as it is more of a tablet. Basic Kindle is perfect size and no temptation to keep flicking over to check emails or whatever social networking you may be into. When I'm reading I like to be in the zone!!

That's a good point. I am very easily distracted and I would definitely be flicking between things.

However, i do like the idea of having a minimal amount of devices

okay so there is Kindle fire..what else ...must be many out there?..can anyone recommend best ...least expensive..need to buy one for me and one one for wife..are any limited to download source options? My sis in Europe says some are..how much should one expect to pay? What should I be looking for..?

Thx

d

Basic Kindle costs around B4,500. This one has buttons, wi-fi connection, memory for a couple of thousand books & 1 month battery life. The next one up is the touch screen version. You can buy them online at Amazon or in Bangkok at B2S in Chidlom. I use it for purely reading and downloading books and it is perfect size for me. Check out Amazon website for the full range.

[DMC1]

....christ there is so much excellent literature out there eh guys??.... which when young is boring <deleted>..gonna get me an e book...... recommendations ?? Do they they have dictionaries/thesaurus inbuilt as my vocabulary is not what it should be when they quote/use Latin and French and lotsa big words et al.

Wish I could live so long to read it all...

The more you read it seems that there is so much more to read methinks....

Big fan of historical novels meself........

Just got a Kindle last month. Comes with dictionaries already in there, multiple languages. Battery life is amazing. Used it for 3 weeks offshore every evening & it's still over 1/4 full.

Some great recommendations one here - just downloading the Brentford trilogy!! I like historical novels too, never thought I would until I tried one, great stuff...

Have you read Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth and World Without End..(14 century? England)...excellent

Not yet. Another one for the list!

[David006]

....christ there is so much excellent literature out there eh guys??.... which when young is boring <deleted>..gonna get me an e book...... recommendations ?? Do they they have dictionaries/thesaurus inbuilt as my vocabulary is not what it should be when they quote/use Latin and French and lotsa big words et al.

Wish I could live so long to read it all...

The more you read it seems that there is so much more to read methinks....

Big fan of historical novels meself........

Just got a Kindle last month. Comes with dictionaries already in there, multiple languages. Battery life is amazing. Used it for 3 weeks offshore every evening & it's still over 1/4 full.

Some great recommendations one here - just downloading the Brentford trilogy!! I like historical novels too, never thought I would until I tried one, great stuff...

Have you read Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth and World Without End..(14 century? England)...excellent

Not yet. Another one for the list!

Found this site....drive ya nuts there is sooo much to get to..lol

http://www.historicalnovels.info

Edited July 27, 2012 by David006

[londoedan]

Robert Harris - The Fear Index. http://www.standard....is-6443847.html

**whoop** **whoop** Avoid!! Avoid!! Avoid!!

Suckered in by a good back page blurb, this was my first Robert Harris novel and DEF my last. I made it through to page about 100 before i skipped through, confirming what i had already guessed and wasted no more of my time. Cardboard characters and a plot that u see coming from early on.

Ill be lending this one to some acquaintance I don't think too highly of.

I'm surprised you didn't enjoy it, I thought it was pretty good.

I also liked The Ghost (much better than the film version) and his earlier books, Fatherland and Archangel were both excellent IMHO.

[endure]

Robert Harris - The Fear Index. http://www.standard....is-6443847.html

**whoop** **whoop** Avoid!! Avoid!! Avoid!!

Suckered in by a good back page blurb, this was my first Robert Harris novel and DEF my last. I made it through to page about 100 before i skipped through, confirming what i had already guessed and wasted no more of my time. Cardboard characters and a plot that u see coming from early on.

Ill be lending this one to some acquaintance I don't think too highly of.

I'm surprised you didn't enjoy it, I thought it was pretty good.

I also liked The Ghost (much better than the film version) and his earlier books, Fatherland and Archangel were both excellent IMHO.

Even better were Pompeii, Imperium and Lustrum

[BookMan]

Robert Harris - The Fear Index. http://www.standard....is-6443847.html

**whoop** **whoop** Avoid!! Avoid!! Avoid!!

Suckered in by a good back page blurb, this was my first Robert Harris novel and DEF my last. I made it through to page about 100 before i skipped through, confirming what i had already guessed and wasted no more of my time. Cardboard characters and a plot that u see coming from early on.

Ill be lending this one to some acquaintance I don't think too highly of.

I'm surprised you didn't enjoy it, I thought it was pretty good.

I also liked The Ghost (much better than the film version) and his earlier books, Fatherland and Archangel were both excellent IMHO.

Even better were Pompeii, Imperium and Lustrum

After reading The Fear Index, I feel I would never read another one of his novels. Usually I enjoy this type of book but his style, plot and characters didn't do it for me. His characters were awful. I found it impossible to believe that the main character and his wife had been married for years. I'm not sure that Harris himself had a full grasp of what his characters meant to be and what their motivations were.

Having a look at his wiki entry I should correct myself and say that I have in fact read Enigma, a book I did enjoy, and one in which his characters were far more believable.

I can understand that many people must like him as he has written quite a few historical novels and non fiction and he must have sold a few million also. I also give kudos to Harris because he is a successful published author who a lot of people like.

I do also recognise that my opinion is of course, just my opinion. That is one of the many things that makes books so great. Everyone can get something different out of the same story. Some love it, some loathe it. We can all imagine characters differently.

Who else, besides Robert Harris, do you guys read?

[londoedan]

Who else, besides Robert Harris, do you guys read?

Well I like to think I have fairly catholic tastes - recently read the latest Ian Rankine (good), The Strangers Child (v good), a Peter James detective yarn (so-so) re-read The Great Gatsby (fantastic), another Murakami Haruki (loved it) and a biography of Voltaire by Ian Davidson (what a guy). I've got the latest Llosa in the queue, plus Brideshead Revisited and 100 Years of Solitude to re-read.

The book I'm most looking forward to reading this year is Bring Up the Bodies, as the first instalment was cracking.

Edited July 28, 2012 by londoedan

[BookMan]

has anyone read EL James 'Fifty Shades of Grey'?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifty_Shades_of_Grey

Apparently it has now sold 30 million copies!!

I had a friend in the book selling trade who read it and thought it was rubbish.

Be interested if anyone has cast their eyes through it. Ill be giving it a read when it comes through my way.

the article is here:

http://www.smh.com.au/business/fifty-shades-of-envy-as-penguin-suffers-huge-profit-loss-20120728-231sr.html

[Gladiator]

Just finished:

The Autobioography of Henry Vlll by Margaret George

Yes.... I know, not a true autobiography but as close as it gets. Margaret has a good understanding of history and reproducing it into terms that we may understand.

and

Blood. Tears and Folly; An objective look at World War ll by Len Deighton

Len Deighton does an excellent job in looking at nearly all aspects of the Second World War. One of its strongpoint is that he provides a lot of background in addressing the problems and events of the Second World War.

For non-fiction addicts.... interesting reading

[DrTuner]

has anyone read EL James 'Fifty Shades of Grey'?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifty_Shades_of_Grey

Apparently it has now sold 30 million copies!!

I had a friend in the book selling trade who read it and thought it was rubbish.

Be interested if anyone has cast their eyes through it. Ill be giving it a read when it comes through my way.

the article is here:

http://www.smh.com.au/business/fifty-shades-of-envy-as-penguin-suffers-huge-profit-loss-20120728-231sr.html

It's been labeled "Mommy porn". Out of that genre I prefer Harold Robbins, can't stand the chick books. The Storyteller is my favorite of his books.

[BuckarooBanzai]

[MrMuddle]

If you want to read books mainly then I wouldn't buy the Kindle Fire as it is more of a tablet. Basic Kindle is perfect size and no temptation to keep flicking over to check emails or whatever social networking you may be into. When I'm reading I like to be in the zone!!

That's a good point. I am very easily distracted and I would definitely be flicking between things.

However, i do like the idea of having a minimal amount of devices

okay so there is Kindle fire..what else ...must be many out there?..can anyone recommend best ...least expensive..need to buy one for me and one one for wife..are any limited to download source options? My sis in Europe says some are..how much should one expect to pay? What should I be looking for..?

Thx

d

Hope this will help David, I use a laptop for reading books, with the Kindle for PC program. I downloaded quite a lot of books, while I was in the UK, but here in Thailand, I cannot download books that are classified as "free", on Amazon's UK website, (the likes of Charles Dickens, and other classic works, long since out of copyright), as I am outside the UK. The site directs me to the US version, where a small fee is payable. As I'm a) Scottish, and blame America for the collapse of the world economy, I reject this option.

There is, apparently a way, to convert between various file formats for books, so that they can be read on different readers, I have a mate in the UK who sends me books he downloads, and then converts them so that I can read them on the laptop.

Back to the topic, I'm currently re-reading The Communist Manifesto - Karl Marx.

[BookMan]

Fantasy genre I presume?

[BookMan]

If you want to read books mainly then I wouldn't buy the Kindle Fire as it is more of a tablet. Basic Kindle is perfect size and no temptation to keep flicking over to check emails or whatever social networking you may be into. When I'm reading I like to be in the zone!!

That's a good point. I am very easily distracted and I would definitely be flicking between things.

However, i do like the idea of having a minimal amount of devices

okay so there is Kindle fire..what else ...must be many out there?..can anyone recommend best ...least expensive..need to buy one for me and one one for wife..are any limited to download source options? My sis in Europe says some are..how much should one expect to pay? What should I be looking for..?

Thx

d

Hope this will help David, I use a laptop for reading books, with the Kindle for PC program. I downloaded quite a lot of books, while I was in the UK, but here in Thailand, I cannot download books that are classified as "free", on Amazon's UK website, (the likes of Charles Dickens, and other classic works, long since out of copyright), as I am outside the UK. The site directs me to the US version, where a small fee is payable. As I'm a) Scottish, and blame America for the collapse of the world economy, I reject this option.

There is, apparently a way, to convert between various file formats for books, so that they can be read on different readers, I have a mate in the UK who sends me books he downloads, and then converts them so that I can read them on the laptop.

Back to the topic, I'm currently re-reading The Communist Manifesto - Karl Marx.

How does The Communist Manifesto read now, with hindsight of history etcetera?

[BookMan]

Who else, besides Robert Harris, do you guys read?

Well I like to think I have fairly catholic tastes - recently read the latest Ian Rankine (good), The Strangers Child (v good), a Peter James detective yarn (so-so) re-read The Great Gatsby (fantastic), another Murakami Haruki (loved it) and a biography of Voltaire by Ian Davidson (what a guy). I've got the latest Llosa in the queue, plus Brideshead Revisited and 100 Years of Solitude to re-read.

The book I'm most looking forward to reading this year is Bring Up the Bodies, as the first instalment was cracking.

The Great Gatsby is one of my all time favourite books. I watched the 1974 movie of The Great Gatsby a couple of months back (Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, Sam Waterston). Entertaining viewing. There is another Great Gatsby movie coming out late this year or early next year.

Bring up the Bodies (Hilary Mantel's sequel to Wolf Hall) should be a ripper indeed. Here is a review of the book. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/9287648/Bring-Up-the-Bodies-by-Hilary-Mantel-review.html

I've read most of Rankin's Inspector Rebus novels and The Complaints, his first Malcolm Fox novel.

Speaking of book series, this is where e-reader devices are incredibly handy. If you get into a book series you can simply download the next one in an instant. I like to grab the next one in any series that I enjoy and read it straight away.

Another great thing about the e-readers is that you can access the books so easily in series order! No more trolling through a half dozen book shops to find the missing volume or ordering on the internet and waiting a week or two.

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

If you want to read books mainly then I wouldn't buy the Kindle Fire as it is more of a tablet. Basic Kindle is perfect size and no temptation to keep flicking over to check emails or whatever social networking you may be into. When I'm reading I like to be in the zone!!

That's a good point. I am very easily distracted and I would definitely be flicking between things.

However, i do like the idea of having a minimal amount of devices

okay so there is Kindle fire..what else ...must be many out there?..can anyone recommend best ...least expensive..need to buy one for me and one one for wife..are any limited to download source options? My sis in Europe says some are..how much should one expect to pay? What should I be looking for..?

Thx

d

Hope this will help David, I use a laptop for reading books, with the Kindle for PC program. I downloaded quite a lot of books, while I was in the UK, but here in Thailand, I cannot download books that are classified as "free", on Amazon's UK website, (the likes of Charles Dickens, and other classic works, long since out of copyright), as I am outside the UK. The site directs me to the US version, where a small fee is payable. As I'm a) Scottish, and blame America for the collapse of the world economy, I reject this option.

There is, apparently a way, to convert between various file formats for books, so that they can be read on different readers, I have a mate in the UK who sends me books he downloads, and then converts them so that I can read them on the laptop.

Back to the topic, I'm currently re-reading The Communist Manifesto - Karl Marx.

It is very easy to convert book formats. Download Calibre, it is a free program you can use for your ebook library. It converts book formats and does many other handy things. A real jewel of a program.

[londoedan]

No more trolling through a half dozen book shops to find the missing volume or ordering on the internet and waiting a week or two.

Searching through book-shops is part of the fun for me. I watched Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy recently and then read the book, which I thoight was great. So I'd like to read the other Smiley books but want to read them in order - I've found Honourable Schooldboy and A Murder of Quality but want to find and read Call for the Dead first.

And I'm not a fan of the e-readers - all my books are bought in paper versions, almost invariably new.

[BuckarooBanzai]

Fantasy genre I presume?

Mixture of fantasy, comedy, satire and tragedy all rolled into one.