The GOT Book Club

[4737carlin]

Got a bunch of books from the library before it closed, i use to read a lot, not so much these days but now i have the time, anyone read any of these?


Guy Sajer: The Forgotten Soldier, I'm told this is a great read, I've read a lot on WW2 but not this one
Nine Suitcases by Bela Zsolt about the Holocaust
Mark Felton: Castle of the Eagles, about Colditz, I've read Airey Neave and Pat Reids books
Low Level Hell by Hugh Mills about Vietnam
True Summit by David Roberts about the ascent of Annapurna
John Hunt: Ascent of Everest
Ghosts Of K2 by Mick Conefrey
Summit Fever by Andrew Craig

I grabbed a load as it was just closing and they wasn't sure when they would open again!!

 

[gonetomorrow]

I'm taking the opportunity of the lockdown to read Ulysses by James Joyce the whole way through. I have never managed it before and it'll be good for my soul, or so they say.

 

[JokerJ]

I sorted all my books out and gave them a place(need a bookcase desperately) to try and convince my brain I want to start reading again. I've put a book next to my bed. I will read...I will read...I will read...

 

[degsy]

Got a bunch of books from the library before it closed, i use to read a lot, not so much these days but now i have the time, anyone read any of these?


Guy Sajer: The Forgotten Soldier, I'm told this is a great read, I've read a lot on WW2 but not this one
Nine Suitcases by Bela Zsolt about the Holocaust
Mark Felton: Castle of the Eagles, about Colditz, I've read Airey Neave and Pat Reids books
Low Level Hell by Hugh Mills about Vietnam
True Summit by David Roberts about the ascent of Annapurna
John Hunt: Ascent of Everest
Ghosts Of K2 by Mick Conefrey
Summit Fever by Andrew Craig

I grabbed a load as it was just closing and they wasn't sure when they would open again!!

Your Library will have an online section, download on to your phone or whatever. OverDrive is a common one.
Up to nine titles, 21 days to read.
Audio books too great for in the car.
Reading Don Winslow atm,
Power of the dog and The Border

 

[COYBL25]

Your Library will have an online section, download on to your phone or whatever. OverDrive is a common one.
Up to nine titles, 21 days to read.
Audio books too great for in the car.
Reading Don Winslow atm,
Power of the dog and The Border

Just finished Power of the Dog.

I want to thank the person who recommended it, as without doubt it's one of the best crime novels I’ve ever read.

Both series of Narcos Mexico without doubt have been taken from parts of this book.

Just ordered the follow on - The Cartel.

Possibly a modern classic.

A magnificent book.

 

[gonetomorrow]

I've cast aside Ulysses by James Joyce for the Nth time. Made it past page 100. Too much Irish banter and classical allusions - hard going.

I don't deny it's a piece of work and must have created a storm when it first appeared. Joyce invented the stream of consciousness as a literary device. Brilliant.

But if this slough of despond is to be fruitful, I'll study something rewarding like finance or housepainting or German.

 

[Black Belt Jones]

I've cast aside Ulysses by James Joyce for the Nth time. Made it past page 100. Too much Irish banter and classical allusions - hard going.

I don't deny it's a piece of work and must have created a storm when it first appeared. Joyce invented the stream of consciousness as a literary device. Brilliant.

But if this slough of despond is to be fruitful, I'll study something rewarding like finance or housepainting or German.

Pick it back up for glory gonetomorrow!

It ebbs and flows, Stephen's narration is way harder to read IME - need to grit the teeth a bit here and get through it. Bloom's parts, though, are OK - a straightforward character compared to Stephen's more poetic and complex one.

Molly Bloom's soliloquy in the last chapter is off the scale as a piece of writing. Imitated a thousand times but doubt it's been bettered.

 

[gonetomorrow]

Pick it back up for glory gonetomorrow!

It ebbs and flows, Stephen's narration is way harder to read IME - need to grit the teeth a bit here and get through it. Bloom's parts, though, are OK - a straightforward character compared to Stephen's more poetic and complex one.

Molly Bloom's soliloquy in the last chapter is off the scale as a piece of writing. Imitated a thousand times but doubt it's been bettered.

Yes the Bloom passages were within range. For light relief I'm now rereading Seymour: An Introduction by Salinger, another book I've had problems with in the past. It's one of his works about the neurotic Glass family.

What I'd really like would be a novel that makes me laugh out loud - as with Lucky Jim way back when. I think Northanger Abbey was the last time a piece of writing had such an effect, and that's saying something!

 

[mawders]

View attachment 81721

Just finished Power of the Dog.

I want to thank the person who recommended it, as without doubt it's one of the best crime novels I’ve ever read.

Both series of Narcos Mexico without doubt have been taken from parts of this book.

Just ordered the follow on - The Cartel.

Possibly a modern classic.

A magnificent book.

I love Don Winslow. The Cartel is a great sequel. I have the third one too, but yet to read. It's next on my list. 700 pages though. The Force is also an epic read.

I just pre ordered a signed copy of the latest (and last) book in the Last Kingdom series. Love Bernard Cornwell too

 

[aazak]

Pick it back up for glory gonetomorrow!

It ebbs and flows, Stephen's narration is way harder to read IME - need to grit the teeth a bit here and get through it. Bloom's parts, though, are OK - a straightforward character compared to Stephen's more poetic and complex one.

Molly Bloom's soliloquy in the last chapter is off the scale as a piece of writing. Imitated a thousand times but doubt it's been bettered.

Not bettered, but made great in a different artform:



She couldn't get a license from Joyce's estate, so she had to write /adapt different lyrics. 20ish years later she did get clearance and released a version using the original text.

 

[COYBL25]

Not the sort of book I’d normally read, but it’s surprisingly very good.

Not your run of the mill footy book, as he’s genuinely very funny, articulate and takes the piss out of himself and the football world in general.

 

[leslad]

Pick it back up for glory gonetomorrow!

It ebbs and flows, Stephen's narration is way harder to read IME - need to grit the teeth a bit here and get through it. Bloom's parts, though, are OK - a straightforward character compared to Stephen's more poetic and complex one.

Molly Bloom's soliloquy in the last chapter is off the scale as a piece of writing. Imitated a thousand times but doubt it's been bettered.

It's rhythmic in a sort of abstract way. There probably isn't any other book that I am more inclined to pick up and open at any point and marvel at and laugh and be moved by. I found with Ulysses that I didn't really want to fully comprehend of all aspects of it (and couldn't anyway) but that never really stopped me enjoying it - the first couple times I finished it, I skipped certain entire sections out.

For example, I still don't really get large parts of Stephen's stream of consciousness, and it took until the third run through for me to muster the courage to complete Oxen of the Sun - tough going, but almost perversely, as I started to make progress through the chapter, I actually started to enjoy it.

I always think (at least for me) a certain perseverance or leap of faith is required in order to achieve that enlightenment moment. Despite that, I have experienced the repeated frustrations @gonetomorrow mentions when attempting Gravity's Rainbow, and I daren't even try Finnegan's Wake. One day maybe.

 

[nosejam]

I decided to start ticking off a few of the "books everyone should read at least once". I've been basing it off this spreadsheet which combines together 8 different lists, the more lists a book is on the higher up it is.

Only two books made all 8 lists, The Great Gatsby and Catch-22 so thought one of those would be a good place to start. Gatsby turned out to be free on the Kindle so made the decision very easy. But wow that was not my style, for me the writing got in the way of the story.

I'm hoping for more success with Catch-22!

I've recently read 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 and really enjoyed both of those. So if anyone has any recommendations for similar styles/themes to those I'd love to read more.

 

[davmaher]

I decided to start ticking off a few of the "books everyone should read at least once". I've been basing it off this spreadsheet which combines together 8 different lists, the more lists a book is on the higher up it is.

Only two books made all 8 lists, The Great Gatsby and Catch-22 so thought one of those would be a good place to start. Gatsby turned out to be free on the Kindle so made the decision very easy. But wow that was not my style, for me the writing got in the way of the story.

I'm hoping for more success with Catch-22!

I've recently read 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 and really enjoyed both of those. So if anyone has any recommendations for similar styles/themes to those I'd love to read more.

Catch 22 is one of my favourite books, although not read it for a good few years now. Hope you enjoy it.

 

[summerisle]

I decided to start ticking off a few of the "books everyone should read at least once". I've been basing it off this spreadsheet which combines together 8 different lists, the more lists a book is on the higher up it is.

Only two books made all 8 lists, The Great Gatsby and Catch-22 so thought one of those would be a good place to start. Gatsby turned out to be free on the Kindle so made the decision very easy. But wow that was not my style, for me the writing got in the way of the story.

I'm hoping for more success with Catch-22!

I've recently read 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 and really enjoyed both of those. So if anyone has any recommendations for similar styles/themes to those I'd love to read more.

The Midwich Cuckoos, as are most of John Wyndham's books, is a good read.

John Blackburn is a favourite of mine, plots well and mixed genres. His cold war sci fi/horror are very good. More here :

John Blackburn’s “Bury Him Darkly” and “Broken Boy”

Part of why I love writing this blog is rediscovering classic weird fiction that has been lost through misadventure and misfortune. Happily, others share this interest, and some of them are in an …

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