Phuket Thailand

LivinLOS · #1 20-05-2007, 12:23

A while back there were some reviews and bits in here.. We have kinda stopped doing that..

I had an amazon drop last week and have had 2 so far I really enjoyed..

First one is Jupiters Travels..

I like travelogues, and adventures tales.. And this is a doozy.. 4 years on a triumph around the world in the 70's.. I had heard of it before and been meaning to read it for a while..

The writing style is simple and honest, its as much about his growth and character as a diary of the travel which is in fact fairly brief due to the amount of ground covered..

Be warned, this book tempts you to get out Atlas's, start tracing lines over them and think about setting off somewhere !! Its infectious.. I have been lucky enough to do some special overland treks and reading this just makes words like 'trans siberian highway' and 'bridge of the americas' just hang in front of your eyes.. To say a book can be life changing is a cliché, but I dont doubt that this book has inspired many an adventure !!

I have already ordered his second (riding high)..

LivinLOS · #2 20-05-2007, 12:25

Next one..

Fight Club.

As usual I ordered quite a chunk, and a lot of them are serious / political / social stuff.. Heavy reading.. And in balance only a few fictions and things, I was wanting to read one them fairly evenly but the first few lines of this just grabs you, the first sentences are

"Tyler gets me a job as a waiter, after that Tyler's pushing a gun in my mouth and saying, the first step to immortal life is you have to die. For a long time though, Tyler and I were best friends."

From that beginning it just doesn't let up.. Its a short, high speed read, roller coaster ride.. Its only a little more than a novella, highly spaced type fonts pushes it up to 200 sparse pages and I put it down finished only a few hours after picking it up.. But WOW !!

I really liked the movie, I wondered if knowing the huge plot twist ending would hamper the enjoyment of the book, far from it I actually think it helped, as there are massive clues and hints throughout the text, those became enjoyable to notice and if I hadnt known the spoiler I would probably have immediately started to reread it to enjoy the trail of breadcrumbs effect.

Social commentary, identity roles, deranged characters, hullicanry scenes and perceptions, superb dialogue (much of which is word for word in parts of the film) all in all another highly recommended read.

Now I need to hit one of the hard ones.. Only I just picked up 'Copping Free' and the opening scene of that is as much of a grabber.. Or theres Purfume.. Or.. Or.. You gotta love Amazon !!

Pad Mc · #3 20-05-2007, 18:58

Yeah, I seen Jupiters Travels (after watching "The long way round") a few months back in a shop in Dublin... They only had it in Hardback at that time. I didn't get it. I don't really like reading hardbacks if the PB is available....

Just reading In Siberia by Colin Thubron... I will be hopefully going there (Russia/Siberia) in the next year or two. I always wanted to go there...

In Siberia - Colin Thubron - Penguin UK

This guy is one of the great travel writers at the moment IMO... He has a few other books too that I'm looking forward to getting...

MajorTom · #4 20-05-2007, 23:17

I love the travel adventure stories. Will have to check out the Ted Simon book. He got a mention in "The Long Way Round" By Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, which i just finished. (avaliable in Faulty Towers). It's an excellent read. I ended up with a new motorbike after reading it..

I also just finished downloading the DVD's. This is really good stuff.

marc26 · #5 21-05-2007, 01:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by LivinLOS

Next one..

Fight Club.

As usual I ordered quite a chunk, and a lot of them are serious / political / social stuff.. Heavy reading.. And in balance only a few fictions and things, I was wanting to read one them fairly evenly but the first few lines of this just grabs you, the first sentences are

[!!

i totally agree
i just sub-letted an apartment for the summer
the owners must have been Lit majors
jeez, the names on that bookshelf is a who's who of writers
started reading this book "From Beruit to Jerusalem"
halfway through i had to balance it with a pretty funny read from Bill Bryson

i sometimes read 2-3 books at once

Pad Mc · #6 21-05-2007, 01:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by marc26

halfway through i had to balance it with a pretty funny read from Bill Bryson

i sometimes read 2-3 books at once

I liked "The Lost Continent" By Bill Bryson... Good book. He's funny and easy to read...

A fact from the book, IIRC... The town of Lebanon is the very center (geographicaly) of mainland USA... Since you mentioned Beruit...

marc26 · #7 21-05-2007, 01:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pad Mc

I liked "The Lost Continent" By Bill Bryson... Good book. He's funny and easy to read...

A fact from the book, IIRC... The town of Lebanon is the very center (geographicaly) of mainland USA... Since you mentioned Beruit...

I am reading Notes From a Small Island by Bryson right now along with the Beruit book

nelsonone · #8 22-05-2007, 06:16

I am reading Salmon Rushdie's "Shalimar the Clown" and find it absolutely "fantastic" in the true sense of the word.....

The writing is poetic and a joy to read....the subject fascinating.....and the characters wonderful....

I am really getting pissed of that I can't spend more time reading it....work is pretty busy at present!!!

lunglek · #9 22-05-2007, 16:18

Just started Stephen King´s "The Dark Tower" am on book 2 of 7 also reading "Covert Warrior" by Warner smith- Fighting the CIA´s Secret War in Southeast Asia and China 1965-1967

LivinLOS · #10 22-05-2007, 19:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by lunglek

Just started Stephen King´s "The Dark Tower" am on book 2 of 7 also reading "Covert Warrior" by Warner smith- Fighting the CIA´s Secret War in Southeast Asia and China 1965-1967

I read some of the dark tower series.. Kinda oddball.. Started out like a surreal western, then morphs, wont say more but I didnt really get into it..

Also back then the series wasnt finished.. Think there was 5 from memory at that point..

I also have just got lots of heavier kind of books.. through our enemies eyes, imperial hubris, a game as old as empire, etc etc etc.. I was reading last night and my misses comes over and asks if its fun (sanook mai) I kind of explain that its not fun no, its not a 'fun' type of book and you could see her total confusion.. Like why on earth would you read anything that wasnt fun.. Maybe shes the smart one !!

LivinLOS · #11 22-05-2007, 19:30

Well as I was finding the serious stuff slow going, I grabbed another of the fast and fun ones, just reading the first page and I knew it was going to be a cant put down one.

Copping Free - Matthew Carnahan

Another really speed read, double spaced type, sadly only an afternoons enjoyment but an absolute gut buster if bizarre drug addled black comedy appeals. This guy is an absolute gem !!

His writing is kind of like a combination of HST fear and loathing merged with Elmore Leonards sparse crime thriller but where Leonard runs on razor sharp dialogue this runs on fleshing out weird characters.. The cast of which include Meth addled circus freaks, amateur murderers, ass raping clowns, a gay african elephant trainer (and his lover) and the snake woman AKA the limbless lady, payroll heists, biker gangs and retribution etc.. All makes for another deeply deeply bizarre roller coaster read.

I laughed so hard my belly hurt and tears flooded my cheeks.. This is righ up there in some of the best stuff I have read in ages, this guy should do well..