CristianoRonaldo
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-La vie devant soi de Romain Gary (Émile Ajar)
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-Le Lion de la Macédoine de David Gemmell
OT: The Good Book: What are you reading right now?
- Thread starter Runner77
- Start date
Chili
Time passes when you're not looking
- Jun 10, 2004
- 8,786
- 4,920
Coming out in September a new book looking behind the scenes at an Oilers draft. Looks interesting...
Edit: I see there is a Leafs version coming out in October (the Wings too), wonder if there is a similar Habs book in the works?:
Edit: I see there is a Leafs version coming out in October (the Wings too), wonder if there is a similar Habs book in the works?:
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Grate n Colorful Oz
The Hutson Hawk
Time for me to contribute to Runner's great Book thread.
I ordered this book yesterday, from a fiction author i really like, the Aussie, Max Barry. Someone told me this new book of his is really good:
It deals with a sorta multiverse murderer. That's about all I know for now, but I'm pretty sure there's no Titanian purple skin and gauntlet, no superheroes either.
I haven't read a Barry book in years, since the second time I've read Lexicon. So while waiting for this new book to arrive, I decided to re-read my favorite book of his, the very first Max Barry book I've read:
(2003), ISBN 1-4000-3092-7
Don't be fooled by the tagline, cuz while there's some of Catch-22 in it, I never really saw anything remotely related to the Matrix, except maybe the social commentary. Considering the era, circa turn of the millenium, a Fight Club reference might've been more à propos if the link is social commentary and corporatism, but it's understandable since Barry was pretty new back then and his publicist probably wanted something catchy.
Jennifer Government reads mostly like a movie script. The protagonist, Jennifer, works for the US government as a hard-nosed cop, in a world completely dominated by corporations and money. The Corporate culture has become so strong and pervasive that people use the company they work for as their family name. Hence the eponymous Jennifer Government. The story follows Jennifer as she investigates and tries to elucidate a mall shooting caused by the machiavellian marketing 'techniques' of a sociopathic Nike exec named John. Yup, his name is John Nike.
The story is fast paced, sprawling through several locales and supporting characters that Jennifer meets on her journey, with typical Barry humor and flair, which is omnipresent throughout the book. You could consider this book somewhat of a soft Dystopia and something just as probable in the future as Idiocracy by Mike Judge, but with a much, much better story overall.
It is not your typical heroes's journey, although Barry doesn't stray too far away from the format. While it is detective novel, it's more of the international manhunt variety, as it borders more on chase and adventure than typical detective work.
It is a pretty unique novel from a unique author. One of my favorites of all-time.
After Jennifer, if I still have some time before Madison May comes in, I will re-read Lexicon:
(2013), ISBN 1-594-20538-8
Before first reading Lexicon, I had read Barry's two other novels at that point, after reading Jennifer Government, called Company and Syrup and while they were readable, they were far from a page turner like Jennifer was. There was another novel in the intervening years called Machine Man, but I haven't read that one. So i was a bit apprehensive when I picked-up Lexicon in 2014, thinking it wouldn't wow me anywhere as close as Jennifer.
Worry for naught as it was far better than Syrup and Company. Not as great as Jennifer Government, but close. Lexicon follows the story of orphan Emily Ruff as she's recruted by a secret society of powerful persuaders/conmen called "Poets". Emily turns out a prodigy and as she acquires skills and rank with the help of a few Poet mentors, a story of power struggle and intrigue unravels as she learns that the world's power structure is infiltrated by Poets.
It's somewhat like if the Skulls movie meets Mesmer. Like JG, it's also fast-paced and reads like a movie. While the Poets's powers of persuasion are based on a fictional relation between primal emotions and a specific mix of sounds and words, Barry manages to make it believable. The story kinda lags towards getting to the turning point, but finishes off well enough.
Now, Barry is an author I was introduced to by way of Chuck Palahniuk's original The Cult website, in Chuck's recommendations list. Reading Lexicon, you kinda wonder if Barry is a Palahniuk fan too and read his book Lullaby, because's there's a lot of similarities between how the killer nursury rhyme works in Lullaby and how the Poets use certain non-words to control people in Lexicon. If you've read and liked Lullaby, you'll probably like Lexicon.
I ordered this book yesterday, from a fiction author i really like, the Aussie, Max Barry. Someone told me this new book of his is really good:
It deals with a sorta multiverse murderer. That's about all I know for now, but I'm pretty sure there's no Titanian purple skin and gauntlet, no superheroes either.
I haven't read a Barry book in years, since the second time I've read Lexicon. So while waiting for this new book to arrive, I decided to re-read my favorite book of his, the very first Max Barry book I've read:
(2003), ISBN 1-4000-3092-7
Don't be fooled by the tagline, cuz while there's some of Catch-22 in it, I never really saw anything remotely related to the Matrix, except maybe the social commentary. Considering the era, circa turn of the millenium, a Fight Club reference might've been more à propos if the link is social commentary and corporatism, but it's understandable since Barry was pretty new back then and his publicist probably wanted something catchy.
Jennifer Government reads mostly like a movie script. The protagonist, Jennifer, works for the US government as a hard-nosed cop, in a world completely dominated by corporations and money. The Corporate culture has become so strong and pervasive that people use the company they work for as their family name. Hence the eponymous Jennifer Government. The story follows Jennifer as she investigates and tries to elucidate a mall shooting caused by the machiavellian marketing 'techniques' of a sociopathic Nike exec named John. Yup, his name is John Nike.
The story is fast paced, sprawling through several locales and supporting characters that Jennifer meets on her journey, with typical Barry humor and flair, which is omnipresent throughout the book. You could consider this book somewhat of a soft Dystopia and something just as probable in the future as Idiocracy by Mike Judge, but with a much, much better story overall.
It is not your typical heroes's journey, although Barry doesn't stray too far away from the format. While it is detective novel, it's more of the international manhunt variety, as it borders more on chase and adventure than typical detective work.
It is a pretty unique novel from a unique author. One of my favorites of all-time.
After Jennifer, if I still have some time before Madison May comes in, I will re-read Lexicon:
(2013), ISBN 1-594-20538-8
Before first reading Lexicon, I had read Barry's two other novels at that point, after reading Jennifer Government, called Company and Syrup and while they were readable, they were far from a page turner like Jennifer was. There was another novel in the intervening years called Machine Man, but I haven't read that one. So i was a bit apprehensive when I picked-up Lexicon in 2014, thinking it wouldn't wow me anywhere as close as Jennifer.
Worry for naught as it was far better than Syrup and Company. Not as great as Jennifer Government, but close. Lexicon follows the story of orphan Emily Ruff as she's recruted by a secret society of powerful persuaders/conmen called "Poets". Emily turns out a prodigy and as she acquires skills and rank with the help of a few Poet mentors, a story of power struggle and intrigue unravels as she learns that the world's power structure is infiltrated by Poets.
It's somewhat like if the Skulls movie meets Mesmer. Like JG, it's also fast-paced and reads like a movie. While the Poets's powers of persuasion are based on a fictional relation between primal emotions and a specific mix of sounds and words, Barry manages to make it believable. The story kinda lags towards getting to the turning point, but finishes off well enough.
Now, Barry is an author I was introduced to by way of Chuck Palahniuk's original The Cult website, in Chuck's recommendations list. Reading Lexicon, you kinda wonder if Barry is a Palahniuk fan too and read his book Lullaby, because's there's a lot of similarities between how the killer nursury rhyme works in Lullaby and how the Poets use certain non-words to control people in Lexicon. If you've read and liked Lullaby, you'll probably like Lexicon.
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Walrus26
Wearing a Habs Toque in England.
QuebecPride
Registered User
@BigDaddyLurch and other sword & sorcery fans.....I will assume you've played some RPG / D&D in the past as well.
If you haven't yet read Kings Of The Wyld by Nicholas Eames, do so. It is pure literary entertainment in every sense of the word and manages to deliberately take the gentle piss out of so many tropes whilst remaining a true, page-turning, read. Feel free to thank me later
Thanks for rec, I'll give it a shot.
"The Master and Margarita" is a true masterpiece, The "Fatal Eggs" is another very good one by Bulgakov. He was Stalin's favourite author and it's only thanks to that fact that he wasn't executed by the NKVD. Behemoth's cure for a hangover actually works.
Just completed Adrian Goldsworthy's "Pax Romana". A thoroughly well researched and well written book by one of todays' pre-eminent classical historians. A must read for anyone who wants a comprehensive overview of the greatest empire in history. Goldsworthy is a first class writer and historian.
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angusyoung
motorbiking, vroom vroom
Started to go through this as the mrs got interested in her after we watched Roman Holiday,her first,my umpteenth. It's interesting if not familiar with her or the Dutch resistance,so not much new to learn for me as pretty much heard all the stories first hand but will keep at it. After the movie,perfected my Gregory Peck impersonation,apparently it's spot on! it may even rival my Joan Hickson
VirginiaMtlExpat
Second most interesting man in the world.
Chili
Time passes when you're not looking
- Jun 10, 2004
- 8,786
- 4,920
Picked up Ken Dryden's new book out for the fiftieth anniversary of Summit Series. Personal memories in a coffee table style book, read it in a couple of hours lots of great pictures. I wondered if he'd mention a game where he got lit up by the Russians in 1969 when he was playing for that Team Canada (9-3). He did. Seem to remember that game may have been televised too. Among some great pictures is one of Valeri Vasiliev and Alexander Gusev checking out Ste. Catherine St. (Gusev looked like he could be in a James Bond film). The book brought back a lot of memories. Where did 50 years go?
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- Jun 24, 2012
- 85,392
- 156,583
I’m on Pillars of the Earth right now. Never tried audible but sounds intriguing.
Who is doing the reading — is it the author? If yes, that adds even more authenticity to the delivery, the voice inflection may provide greater enjoyment, I imagine.
VirginiaMtlExpat
Second most interesting man in the world.
No. Typically a narrator with exceptional ability to change or modulate his (or her) voice. In this case, John Lee. In the case of Burning Chambers, Hattie Morahan, a woman.
If you like science,physics,Brian Greene's books are amazing.He also has a great website,worldscienceu.com
- Jun 24, 2012
- 85,392
- 156,583
I had heard a CBC show that discussed audible type books but the list they provided involved the author reading his works.
MasterD
Giggidy Giggidy Goo
- Jul 1, 2004
- 5,954
- 5,421
Great book. Read it and loved it about 10 years ago. Rereading it now.
Also reading an Intro to Python book
Just read Hell.com by Patrick Senecal. Had been reading non fiction exclusively for many years, was a good way to get back into fiction.
Catanddogguitarrr
Registered User
I just finished reading 'the truth about the Harry Quebert affair'.
Excellent thriller. 670 pages of turning pages after the other. That was written by a swiss writer Joel Dicker.
There has been a tv serie (done in Quebec Côte Nord) but it wasn't good. The book is excellent. The book was written in french and I think the french version is better. The story take place in New Hampshire with real and fictionnal locations.
In french it's 'La vérité sur l'affaire Harry Quebert". My favorite writer is Michael Connelly and this book is equal if not better.
Excellent thriller. 670 pages of turning pages after the other. That was written by a swiss writer Joel Dicker.
There has been a tv serie (done in Quebec Côte Nord) but it wasn't good. The book is excellent. The book was written in french and I think the french version is better. The story take place in New Hampshire with real and fictionnal locations.
In french it's 'La vérité sur l'affaire Harry Quebert". My favorite writer is Michael Connelly and this book is equal if not better.
Chili
Time passes when you're not looking
- Jun 10, 2004
- 8,786
- 4,920
Nearing the end of this great book.
500 years ago, September 1519, Magellan set sail with 5 ships on a historic voyage around the globe.
Lots of adventure & danger travelling uncharted waters, meeting new cultures who could be friend or foe (sometimes both) seeking that elusive route to the orient sailing west and the spice islands.
For anyone who enjoys history, this week is the 500th anniversary of the return of the Magellan voyage after three years. Incredible, historic trip, this book was a great read.
Edit: I see there is a film in the works called '1521' starring Danny Trejo
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- Jun 24, 2012
- 85,392
- 156,583
Between all the amazing suggestions in here and a ton of shows and movies to catch up on in the other thread, we’re never short of something to look forward to.
Estimated_Prophet
Registered User
- Mar 28, 2003
- 11,147
- 12,350
I saw Greene and Sam Harris together at a Pangburn Philosophy talk in 2018. It was fun to sit in on a conversation between two of the greatest contemporary minds. Both are so knowledgeable well beyond their fields of expertise and I would recommend reading anything and everything that both of these gentlemen publish.
link to the talk that I attended
Harry Kakalovich
Like and reply
I read the book pillars of the earth last year. It was pretty fun. I haven't gotten to the next one yet.
VirginiaMtlExpat
Second most interesting man in the world.
The whole trilogy is intriguing. Each takes place in a specific era, offset from the closest of the others by a few hundred years. The implication is that you can witness the differences in knowledge available to the more rational protagonists, and also the evolution of prevailing threats, whether vikings or religious warfare, from one era to the next.
Harry Kakalovich
Like and reply
Yeah, I saw he also wrote a prequel as well now. I hope to get to The End of the World (the second one) soon. I was thinking maybe this summer but I ended up reading some books I have already that I've never read.
VirginiaMtlExpat
Second most interesting man in the world.
I read it too. The story takes place in the dark ages. You love to see the protagonist deal with overwhelming odds with ingenuity and mastery of carpentry.
Louis L'Amour's "The Walking Drum" is an interesting novel that covers the Middle Ages from a completely different perspective. Like Follett, L'Amour switched to historical fiction and this was his only work of the genre he published before he died. There are some similarities in style to "Pillars of the Earth".
If you don't mind grit, Gary Jennings is a must read. He's in a class of his own. Read some of his works and you won't look at a particular period or event in the same way again.
If you don't mind grit, Gary Jennings is a must read. He's in a class of his own. Read some of his works and you won't look at a particular period or event in the same way again.
MarioLeMoose
Registered User
- Jul 15, 2022
- 585
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