What books, based on my previous history of books that I have read, do you think I would like?

Gilly · 17 May 2012 at 00:09

Of mice and men is good. I loved gullivers travels.

j6m · 17 May 2012 at 00:19

Hello? I get the impression I've become invisible sometimes.

No1newts · 17 May 2012 at 07:39

desires said:
You've misunderstood me. I think large paragraphs devoted to descriptive nonsense is jerk-off material for a pompous man, and I'll instantly dislike the author as someone that thinks too much of themselves. I wasn't criticizing every reader.

It's called painting a picture with words. It's drawing the reader into a fully imagined world rather than a 2d child's story book.

You'd probably be best off with non fiction or simpler books which just dictate what happens rather than filling out a story. First that comes to mind (personally I avoid this type of author since I grew up) is David Eddings. Very fast moving to the point and avoids description, focuses on events. I'll try dig up some more but it's not really my taste.

Vonhelmet · 17 May 2012 at 08:41

Dan Brown?

No1newts · 17 May 2012 at 08:44

Shayper · 17 May 2012 at 08:48

A Song of Ice and Fire. (George RR Martin)

Because it's awesome.

j6m · 17 May 2012 at 13:10

No1newts said:
You'd probably be best off with non fiction or simpler books which just dictate what happens rather than filling out a story.

Graphic novels?

Gilly · 17 May 2012 at 16:03

The Count of Monte Cristo is pretty damned good.

semi-pro waster · 17 May 2012 at 16:07

Gilly said:
The Count of Monte Cristo is pretty damned good.

It certainly is but I'd have thought it fits fairly squarely into "pompous jerk material" due to the fact it's got a good sense of the dramatic and at nearing 900 pages it's over double what desires requested.

Pighardia · 17 May 2012 at 18:18

semi-pro waster said:
Maybe try some Philip K. Dick - Ubik, The Man In The High Castle and Do Androids Dream Of Electronic Sheep (the book Bladerunner was based upon) are all entertaining in their own way.

This. Get into some PKD. Start off with Ubik

Oh and Slaughterhouse Five

desires said:
Basically I'm after a gripping story but with not too much boring descriptive.

And based on this, The Black Dahlia. Read it fairly recently and was totally hooked

Gilly · 17 May 2012 at 23:04

semi-pro waster said:
It certainly is but I'd have thought it fits fairly squarely into "pompous jerk material" due to the fact it's got a good sense of the dramatic and at nearing 900 pages it's over double what desires requested.

Yeah, but if he gets hold of really good material (Anna Karenina another) that might change!

horseunderwater · 18 May 2012 at 06:11

Lord of the flies William Golding try that

One · 18 May 2012 at 11:18

I got the sequel to Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman and I got Game of Thrones.

Literally just got GoT through the post. I've been enjoying it on the tellybox but everywhere I go there is always a significant amount of people telling me how much better the books are. Just read the prologue and I liked that. I'll see how it goes. It was £5 inc delivery which I think is VERY cheap.

Am I right in thinking I can read two books at the same time? Just as I can watch multiple TV series alongside each other or are books different and I should stick to one at a time?

semi-pro waster · 18 May 2012 at 12:02

desires said:
Am I right in thinking I can read two books at the same time? Just as I can watch multiple TV series alongside each other or are books different and I should stick to one at a time?

Do whatever works for you. I quite often used to have a few books on the go at the same time but now I tend to just read one at a time. I think if you're going to be reading more than one book at a time then it helps if they're quite different in subject matter and style but that's just a matter of preference.

Vonhelmet · 18 May 2012 at 14:00

desires said:
Am I right in thinking I can read two books at the same time? Just as I can watch multiple TV series alongside each other or are books different and I should stick to one at a time?

My wife reads 3 or 4 books at a time. I can't do that.

Gilly · 18 May 2012 at 14:08

I've got 5 books on the go

I've read two of them before mind

Pighardia · 18 May 2012 at 14:12

I can have 2 or 3 on the go, but sometimes can't read them at the same time. So I might read 1 for a week, and then switch to the other for a week and leave the others, then go back to them later. But then I read quite slowly, so I take my time anyway. I read the first 5-6 chapters of Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson about 2 months ago, but not since and I still consider myself to be reading it. I have read a few in between, but will go back to that at some point.

No1newts · 18 May 2012 at 15:05

desires said:
I got the sequel to Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman and I got Game of Thrones.

Literally just got GoT through the post. I've been enjoying it on the tellybox but everywhere I go there is always a significant amount of people telling me how much better the books are. Just read the prologue and I liked that. I'll see how it goes. It was £5 inc delivery which I think is VERY cheap.

Am I right in thinking I can read two books at the same time? Just as I can watch multiple TV series alongside each other or are books different and I should stick to one at a time?

I normally have two on the go.

A classic or a large hefty book which I want to read and a seperate easier read that I can pick up and put down for 5-10 minutes without losing out on the experience.

Like at the moment I am reading Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky (spl?) and Night Watch by Lukenyenko. One I save for a good feet up chill out and read the other I pick up for short stints on the go.