The GOT Book Club

[COYBL25]

Mark Blake - Pigs Might Fly: The Inside Story of Pink Floyd

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Not bad. If you're well versed in the history of the Floyd then there won't be many surprises, and it covers 40 odd years of that history so it does feel a little scattergun at times. I'm not a massive fan of the Barrett era to be honest, so I learnt a bit more about this period, and Gilmour's time as a struggling covers band leader in Europe. The 'Meddle' - 'The Wall' era is a bit dull and by the numbers, but the book kicks into gear with the break down of the band, the power struggle and years of acrimony that followed and the awkward reconciliation that followed. Gilmour comes across as a consummate professional, charitable and a loyal guy to friends, Wright as a reserved and well liked quiet genius, Mason as a happy go lucky peacemaker, just pleased to be along for the ride. Waters seems a self-centred bully. Vindictive, petty and sniping well beyond the breakdown of the band. Nevertheless, his driving force and lyrical input is the essence of the band's impact and has to be respected, and to his credit he manages to bury his ego and the hatchet in time for a fitting send off.

Much the same said by Gilmour when the press where clamouring for a reunion years ago, but more diplomatically put !

On my reading list

 

[milks]

Ready Player One - Ernest Cline : hadn't bought into the hype on this one as it struck me as a bit to 'hipster'. Picked it up and read it last week, was surprisingly enjoyable. Definitely a 300 page film pitch, but was engaging, entertaining and certainly triggered the retro fanboy in me. Maybe slightly too many knowing nods to obscure 80s stuff, but still a good, well paced read.

The Slaughter Man - Tony Parsons : the second instalment in Tony Parsons' foray into crime fiction. Not as sharp as the first effort (The Murder Bag), hugely telegraphed plot development and a little cliched at times. Not as strong as say a Mark Billingham, but an entertaining romp nonetheless.

 

[ToffeeDoug]

Much the same said by Gilmour when the press where clamouring for a reunion years ago, but more diplomatically put !

On my reading list

I enjoyed this book hugely when I read it last year.

 

[Bigmaclad]

Finished Gone Girl a couple of days ago, outstanding book which I think has a really interesting perception on what's "perfect," and also an interesting commentary on how people are never really like they are in public.

 

[scratchnsurf]

The Guardians list of the 100 best novels in English.

http://gu.com/p/4bhk7

Which books would you recommend from the list?

If I had to pick three I'd say In Cold Blood as it's fascinating, Catcher in the Rye as an obvious choice and Disgrace as a modern classic.

Enjoyed Money by Martin Amis. Quite surprised it's in there though. I think London Fields is better.

 

[rascal]

Quite a few football books coming out in September and October that look interesting.

Das Reboot looks the pick of the bunch for me.

 

[DualityNSNO]

Quite a few football boots coming out in September and October that look interesting.

Das Reboot looks the pick of the bunch for me.

I kept re-reading this to understand the typo...

 

[rascal]

I kept re-reading this to understand the typo...

I've just noticed lol

 

[COYBL25]

Just finished this novel ,only 150 pages long, but still worth a read.

Story of a heroin addicted university prof in the States who gets life for murdering his brother. Quite a light hearted look at the penal system and is equally funny and tragic in parts . Well written .

 

[ste d' indica]

Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan - The Strain.



Not really a fan of horror but I like enough of del Toro's work to give this a go. Starts off quite spooky and the procedural style is well done with good research into epidemiology and the like but sadly descends into a very formulaic and repetitive vampire yarn. Don't think I'll bother with the other two in the trilogy.

 

[ToffeeDoug]

Have just started reading Joan Baez' memoir "A Voice To Sing With".

 

[wm02]

When Genius Failed: the Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management
Very enjoyable, well-written book

 

[COYBL25]

Just finished this.

Excellent book, however the film is better imo as it expands on the scene with the two Hillbilllies. Also the film adds the classic quotes into the narrative - " my you got a pretty mouth " and " squeal like a pig ". It deffo helps if you have seen the film first, as you get a proper mental picture of what is going on. They couldn't have cast the film better either .

 

[COYBL25]

Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan - The Strain.

View attachment 13149

Not really a fan of horror but I like enough of del Toro's work to give this a go. Starts off quite spooky and the procedural style is well done with good research into epidemiology and the like but sadly descends into a very formulaic and repetitive vampire yarn. Don't think I'll bother with the other two in the trilogy.

I like his films mate, where does the book fall down ?

 

[bicycleheader]

Reading this for the second time as I haven't gotten around to picking up some new stuff. Very interesting, and there's lots of stuff used in the show of the same name, and later in the all-conquering amazulence of The Wire.

you've probably read this i'd imagine @chicoazul