The GOT Book Club

[COYBL25]

Just finished this, good read if you're into Iain Banks books.

Story surrounding the youngest lad of a large mega rich family and his struggles to come to terms with his family over the sale of their company to an Amercan Muliti National.

Whitty and bittersweet - typical Banks .

8 corporations out 10.

 

[Basil Fawlty]

Both interesting, and I don't want to prejudice your opinion of them by offering up my own thoughts, but happy to do so once you've read them

I was a tad optimistic thinking I'd finish both books within a week. Just coming to the end of Atlas Shrugged, about a hundred pages off. I read it on my iPad so didn't realise it was over 2000 pages before I started it. I'd defo be interested to hear your own thoughts on it mate

 

[Groucho]

Huey Morgan, Rebel Heroes.

If you like music at all, and hate the 'famous for being famous' culture, then give this a go.

 

[LostLegend]

Currently ploughing through Dawkins 'Blind Watchmaker' atm. Very interesting and the science is not too heavy for the layman.

Picked up a copy of Hitchens autobiography 'Hitch-22' as well for my next read

 

[The Esk]

Winners and how they succeed - Alastair Campbell

Just started reading it - seems pretty good, lots of sports references....

 

[Tramps_mate]

Been told this is immense. Just bought a copy from Amazon for 1p...

 

[Gwlacticos]

Savage Continent-Europe in the aftermath of world war 2. Keith Lowe.
Pretty bad times.

 

[The Esk]

Been told this is immense. Just bought a copy from Amazon for 1p...

This is an excellent book, very informative and enjoyable!

 

[McBain]

 

[atrottel]

Been told this is immense. Just bought a copy from Amazon for 1p...

The White Spider (mentioned on the book cover) is also good - about the various attempts on the North Face of the Eiger. (Harrer was a member of the first successful party to climb it.)

 

[The Esk]

The White Spider (mentioned on the book cover) is also good - about the various attempts on the North Face of the Eiger. (Harrer was a member of the first successful party to climb it.)

Yes an excellent book although the deaths of Hinterstoisser and Kurz in particular are amongst the most terrible of all mountaineering tragedies.

 

[atrottel]

Actually, for any other Book Club members who are interested in mountaineering books, a few of my favourites:

One of the first 'warts and all' accounts of an expedition to K2 by Galen Rowell interspersed with history of previous attempts. (If you are into landscape photography his book Mountain Light is inspirational.)

David Roberts was (is) one of the great mountaineering authors but little-known outside the USA. These books - about some extremely serious climbs in Alaska - convey how tense, obsessive, courageous and downright miserable those ascents were.

Two from each of the great British climbing partnership (who died on Everest in the Eighties).

 

[Black Belt Jones]

Shining Mountain is a classic, loved that book.

Reading Tree of Smoke at the moment - Denis Johnson. Goddamn this man can write - absolute top drawer. Like Cormac McCarthy defers to this man's prose, that sort of level.
He's less good on the nuts and bolts of putting books together, particularly longer stuff. Tree of Smoke is reading great, though - perhaps the subject matter (the fog of war) suits a baggier approach.

 

[atrottel]

Reading Tree of Smoke at the moment - Denis Johnson. Goddamn this man can write - absolute top drawer. Like Cormac McCarthy defers to this man's prose, that sort of level.
He's less good on the nuts and bolts of putting books together, particularly longer stuff. Tree of Smoke is reading great, though - perhaps the subject matter (the fog of war) suits a baggier approach.

Added that to my list, thanks.

If you enjoyed that, you might like Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes.

 

[The Esk]

If anyone likes historical mountaineering/adventure books you won't get much better than Bill Tilman's books. (H W Tilman)

The seven Mountain travel books is a compendium including: Snow on the Equator, The Ascent of Nanda Devi, When Men and Mountains Meet, Everest 1938, Two Mountains and a River, China to Chitral and Nepal Himalaya.

Slightly old in style but fascinating reading.