The GOT Book Club

[LostLegend]

Finished the Wayward Pines Trilogy.
Enjoyed them overall, though I felt the story peaked with the first book. Satisfying ending though!

Currently on this in audiobook form:

Scientists have always kept secrets. But rarely in history have scientific secrets been as vital as they were during World War II.

In the midst of planning the Manhattan Project, the U.S. Office of Strategic Services created a secret offshoot - the Alsos Mission - meant to gather intelligence on and sabotage if necessary, scientific research by the Axis powers. What resulted was a plot worthy of the finest thriller, full of spies, sabotage, and murder. At its heart was the 'Lightning A' team, a group of intrepid soldiers, scientists, and spies - and even a famed baseball player - who were given almost free rein to get themselves embedded within the German scientific community to stop the most terrifying threat of the war: Hitler acquiring an atomic bomb of his very own.

While the Manhattan Project and other feats of scientific genius continue to inspire us today, few people know about the international intrigue and double-dealing that accompanied those breakthroughs. [Poor language removed] Brigade recounts this forgotten history, fusing a non-fiction spy thriller with some of the most incredible scientific ventures of all time.

Really enjoying this one & seems topical given the imminent release of the Oppenheimer movie!
I know there's a few of you in here that like the old war yarns as well!

 

[LostLegend]

Think Blood Meridian will be up at some point, not sure whether to go audiobook or physical copy yet though.

That'll be after I get my head around my recent purchase:

House of Leaves is the debut novel by American author Mark Z. Danielewski, published in March 2000 by Pantheon Books. A bestseller, it has been translated into a number of languages, and is followed by a companion piece, The Whalestoe Letters.

A work of pseudepigrapha, House of Leaves purports to be a monograph critiquing a documentary film, while simultaneously narrating the events of the film, in which a family discovers a seemingly endless labyrinth in their house. This framing device results in multiple narrative voices, including the book's supposed author, compiler, and editors, as well as the documentary's cast, whose relationships to each other give rise to inconsistencies and mysteries.

The book is formatted by academic publishing conventions, including exhibits, appendices, and an index, as well as numerous footnotes. It is also distinguished by convoluted page layouts: some pages contain only a few words or lines of text, arranged to mirror the events in the story, often creating both an agoraphobic and a claustrophobic effect. At points, the book must be rotated to be read, making it a prime example of ergodic literature.

The book is most often described as a horror story, though the author has also endorsed readers' interpretation of it as a love story. House of Leaves has also been described as a "satire of academic criticism."

Been on my radar for a bit this one and it seems to be turning up a lot in discussion again at the moment.
It has a bit of a cult reputation this one and was one of the first 'viral' novels as I believe it was originally released on the internet so early physical copies were literally just bits of printed paper people had stapled together.
Also supposed to be a bit of a mindf*** to read as well... all 700 pages of it

I'll let you all know how I get on!

 

[Pittsburgh Footy]

The previous post's mention of Blood Meridian made me think of a book i recently read from about 20 years ago - The Devil's Highway.

It's about the ecosystem of the southern Arizona border and its major players - from the Coyotes and their bosses, to the Border Patrol and their related medical teams to the walkers themselves, and everyone in between. Compelling read and something I'm embarrassed it had taken me this long to read.

 

[Exeter_Gently]

View attachment 215302

Just finished this- Bobby Gillespie / Primal Scream bio.

He’s obviously a bright guy, but comes across as self obsessed and a bit of an arse.

Plus the way long term band member, Martin Duffy was treated prior to his death by Gillespie, makes his claims of being an Uber socialist, ring a bit hollow.

Utter helmet.... him and his manager drank in the pub I ran Darrn Sarrf and one afternoon he took great pleasure in telling me he got the music licence revoked of pub over the road from his house coz it was to loud....Rock an Rolls Bobby Gillespie ladies and gentlemen.

Big Turkey.

 

[Bilko]

Just finished making my way through the entire Bandy papers series, and they're just wonderful. Covering both the first and second world wars told from the first person perspective of Bartholomew Bandy. They're more Blackadder than Flashman in terms of historical accuracy and comedy but just as funny. Most of the books had me laughing from start to finish and even the weaker ones gave me at least one laugh out loud moment. I can't believe that I've never read them before as I've missed out. Its definitely worth checking out if you're looking for something funny and/or good historical fiction. The first book is called Three Cheers for me. I highly recommend them all.

Just finished the first one, very good, thanks for the heads up.

 

[summerisle]

Anybody read this blockbuster ?

 

[LostLegend]

Think Blood Meridian will be up at some point, not sure whether to go audiobook or physical copy yet though.

That'll be after I get my head around my recent purchase:

Been on my radar for a bit this one and it seems to be turning up a lot in discussion again at the moment.
It has a bit of a cult reputation this one and was one of the first 'viral' novels as I believe it was originally released on the internet so early physical copies were literally just bits of printed paper people had stapled together.
Also supposed to be a bit of a mindf*** to read as well... all 700 pages of it

I'll let you all know how I get on! lol

I’m about half-way through this and…

…it’s absolutely mental

Genuinely have never ready anything like this before. Hard going at times for various reasons (yeah see above) but a really unique reading experience so far!

 

[verreauxi]

On a lark while at the library getting books for our kiddo, I picked up "Under the Lights and In the Dark" off the display table showcasing the women's world cup. It is a terrific read. Chapter-long stories from women's footie across the world. Breezy and well-written. Some crazy stories too, such as the Mafia-run teams in Russia and their weird (to put it mildly) style of coaching; the underground futsal leagues in Queens NYC (of which Allie Long would play); a chapter on Nadia Nadim; a chapter on the homeless world cup featuring a scouser; a harrowing chapter on the infiltration of Christianity into American footie and their bigoted issues with homosexuality...and on and on...great read. It's a bit like "How Soccer Explains the World" with respect to the chapters skipping around the globe.

 

[verreauxi]

I’m about half-way through this and…

…it’s absolutely mental lol

Genuinely have never ready anything like this before. Hard going at times for various reasons (yeah see above) but a really unique reading experience so far!

While I wholeheartedly endorse this experimental layout, I fear it would drive me crazy.

 

[dholliday]

I’m about half-way through this and…

…it’s absolutely mental lol

Genuinely have never ready anything like this before. Hard going at times for various reasons (yeah see above) but a really unique reading experience so far!

i tried it once but it just felt like work.

 

[LostLegend]

i tried it once but it just felt like work.

Yeah that's a biggie with some people.

Some parts of it are a real slog. When Zampano goes into his 10 page rambles on the meaning of echo's and laments on how the ancient Greeks explained them. Or Johnny treating the footnotes as his diary on getting wasted and hitting on chicks, it can get tiring. I've heard of many people just giving up with the book at that stage.
I've powered through those parts myself with gritted teeth, but, yeah I totally get why a lot of people DNF this book for sure.

 

[Gwlacticos]

And When Did You Last See Your Father?. By Blake Morrison.

Just grabbed this randomly off my dads bookshelf as a last minute holiday read. Was almost in tears on the plane and I’ve only just started it.

 

[BigMick]

This is the debut novel of Egyptian-American Amal Sedky Winter and it reads like a first novel, being clumsy and cliched at times, with a few plot twists I found incredulous. That said it's still a good read and the story rattles along at a fair pace.

The protagonist, Salma Hamdi, returns to her native Egypt to speak at conference on counterterrorism. While her mother is American her father is now a major figure in the Egyptian government, while, just to complicate things, her boyfriend is Jewish. When she arrives in the country Egypt is on high alert because of Islamic insurgency.

I won't reveal the plot but the best thing about the novel is that it's grounded in real events (with the odd error) and the author does a fine job in depicting the dark forces she believes are perpetuating Egypt's authoritarian rule, Islamic fundamentalism, corruption and pervasive poverty. She uses the often gripping story to highlight the different strata in Egyptian society.

She reserves her sympathy for the impoverished masses, such as those in Cairo’s Imbaba slum where, she reports, 2,000,000 people live in mud-walled structures, about nine to a room, menaced by drug dealers, militant Islamists, and street thugs. In rural areas, farmers rely on waterwheels driven by oxen because they cannot afford electric pumps and generators; basic medicines like penicillin, cough medicine and aspirin are often unavailable.

As in many Arab societies it's the women who are the real heroes, their kindness and resilience ensuring that the family is almost the only social institution that functions in Egypt. It's they who protect Salma from the Islamists hunting her.

Having lived in Egypt for a while and visited friends there many times since, this novel - despite its flaws - gives one of the more authentic depictions of everyday life in the country. It's worth reading for that alone -the exciting story is an important bonus.

 

[COYBL25]

The book, that the film came from and every bit as good.

To create such a beautiful and moving story around first love and cannibalism, really takes some doing and I‘ve got to say, that the casting for the film was perfection.

Beautifully written, tender and moving.

Both the book and the film, have all the hallmarks of future modern classics.

@coollino

 

[coollino]

View attachment 219734

The book, that the film came from and every bit as good.

To create such a beautiful and moving story around first love and cannibalism, really takes some doing and I‘ve got to say, that the casting for the film was perfection.

Beautifully written, tender and moving.

Both the book and the film, have all the hallmarks of future modern classics.

@coollino

Ah nice, i'm not even sure i knew it came from a book. I'm nearish the end of my current one so might move onto this next

as you say, the film was excellent. We're off to see Taylor Russell in a play next month