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+1 for 'Nothing to Envy'.
Just finished 'The Death of Marco Pantani' by Matt Rendell. Bleakly brilliant and heartily recommended to anyone who enjoys riding bikes and/or reading books. The race accounts and descriptions of the riders' varying styles and physicality are a pleasure to read. It also provides a jaw-dropping insight into the extent of doping practices during the period covered, especially EPO abuse.
On a similar vein, I read Bad Blood recently (and a Lance biog that wasn't at all complimentary to him) which was very interesting in terms of seeing how ingrained doping had become.
Maglia Rosa's a great book on the history of the Giro..
Alan bennett Smut
Feels a bit wierd reading on the train but really good little short stories
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about to start
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[i]127 Hours. Very different perspective to the film. He is even more annoying in the book, but some definite lessons there.[/i]
Indeed. The lesson I learned from that book is to stay well clear of that bloke. He's a liability, took a great many risks in places they shouldn't be taken.
Reading Catch 22 at the moment and I am not really getting it which is strange as lot of other people seem to love it.
The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal - holiday read - excellent! 😯
I'm currently on the uncut (1400 pages, 1.5kg) version of 'The Stand'by Stephen King.
I'm currently on the 3rd book and with only 300 pages left got a feeling that the endings going to be a bit rushed compared to the rest of the story.
Reading my brother-in-law's book about the joys of being a primary school teacher
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As he's related you may consider me to be slightly biased but I must say I am enjoying it *immensely* - easy to read, split into nice bite sized chunks that fit nicely into my train commute / lunch hour
Kein Sex ist auch keine Lösung, by Mai Morgowski. A househusband reading a book for housewives. Cutting observations of modern relationships and abuse/use of stereotypes make thought provoking reading.
Reading Catch 22 at the moment and I am not really getting it which is strange as lot of other people seem to love it.
I had the same reaction--tried it 20 years ago and couldn'g get into it--tried it again several years later--same result.
Currently:
"The Last Gunfight" by Jeff Guinn--a detailed study of the events leading up to and following the 1881 gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona between the Earps, Doc Holliday and the "cowboy" faction.
"Does The Noise In My Head Bother You?" by Steven Tyler/Aerosmith--and I thought I have done some crazy things.
I'm currently on the uncut (1400 pages, 1.5kg) version of 'The Stand'by Stephen King.
Re-read that a few months ago after 10 years--still enjoyed it.
I recently completed the 7 volume "Dark Tower" series by Stephen King
Different, but very engaging and the ending was---not at all what I anticpated
Book two of the belgarath from eddings.
Stoner how much you want from the book you're reading posted to france.
Reading John le Carre's 'Spy who came in from the cold' and Pratchett's 'Going postal' can't go too far wrong with Discworld books! Just about to order some sh Bernard Cornwell books. Swords, archers and battles, fun. T.V. is on the blink so I'm reading more.
finished this:
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Really good fun with gratuitous iPhone controlled dirigible UAV and Ekranoplan content.
now trying to actually finish this:
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as its nearly 1000 pages long and Ive still got the next two equally weighty sequels to get through afterwards...more maths, chemistry, physics, politics, religion and trade history than my art college educated brain can really handle...plus some good old fashioned pox-riddled swashbuckling for good measure 🙂
Juan, book gratis to you. Pm me your address.
Which one was it you wanted? Nothing to envy, or making things?
'Rabbit Run' by John Updike. Nice so far, but i have never seen the word 'foreshortening' used so often.
samuri - Member
127 Hours. Very different perspective to the film. He is even more annoying in the book, but some definite lessons there.Indeed. The lesson I learned from that book is to stay well clear of that bloke. He's a liability, took a great many risks in places they shouldn't be taken.
I ended up cheering the rock on by the end of it.
Just finished 'The Bricklayer' by Noah Boyd and have started 'The Passenger' by Justin Cronin. I'm at a bit of a loss trying to find something decent having finished the Flashman series.
Just read and then reread 'With the old breed - at Peleliu & Okinawa' by Eugene Sledge. I'm not really a fan of war stories, but this account of a mortar squad with the US marines in the Pacific during the second world war has really got under my skin. Dunno what else to say really. It's not a comfortable read.
the cold six thousand, James Ellroy.
just finished American Tabloid (the first and second part of a trilogy)
all about the mob/Kennedy Family/FBI/Cuban missile crisis/Howard Hughes/J.E Hoover/KKK/Marilyn monroe/Sinatra and based on true facts and conspiracies.
Ellroy has a unique style and i find his books addictive.
for those of you who haven't heard of him he wrote L.A. confidential which was made into a superb film.
Just finished
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Starting
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the regeneration trilogy is excellent, shadow of the wind is good, i really enjoyed the road and middlesex last year. Also been recommended shantaram and a fraction of the whole
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Currently digging through the MBLA Official Training Manual
Stoner you got mail
xj
Bad Science - Ben Goldacre
American Scream The Bill Hicks Story - Cyntha True
How i won the yellow jumper, by, ned boulting, off itv, cycling,
now a book about SKY cycling team and hen the David dopping cyclist book,, cant remembe the names.
The Iliad.
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the cold six thousand, James Ellroy.
just finished American Tabloid (the first and second part of a trilogy)
Just finished the final part, Blood's a Rover. More of the same - but he's [i]so good[/i]
Currently on the bedside table are:
"Love All the People" - Bill Hick's routines. Doesn't really work on paper for me
"Greek Myths" - Robert Graves. People used to believe such utter nonsense 😐
😉
"Decision in Normandy" - Carlo D'Este. I'm fascinated by the whole... scale of the Normandy landings & campaign. Very interesting book, much better than Anthony Beevor's recent effort, IMHO
Just finished the final part, Blood's a Rover. More of the same - but he's so good
i actually read that first as i picked it up in a bookshop not knowing it was part III. no big deal, starwars was done out of chronological order 🙂
Just finished Nothing to Envy, so +2 for that one 🙂
Nothing else lined up apart from some reference books.
Jusy finished A lifetime in race - Matthew Pinsent. Very enjoyable and recommended
A force of nature - Robin Knox-Johnson. Wanted to like it but didn't, seemed to spend most of the book complaining about IT failures
No Way Down - life and death on K2. Read it in a day, couldn't put it down. Great read, really brought home how things can go terribly wrong...
Tom Clancy - Executive Orders.
Read most of his books before, but not in chronological order....so I'm getting through them all back to back. In total, got about 5000 pages to read to get through the ones on myself (all re-reads) then I have his factual stuff to get through.
Think he's a great author, a lot more detail than Chris Ryan et al....not slating them, but their books are nice for a chill after a Clancy!
Currently reading Notes On A Scandal which is rather good.
My best fave reads i would recommend, in no particular order:
Blood Meridian, The Road, No Country For Old Men - Cormac McCarthy
A Simple Act of Violence - RJ Ellory
King of The World - brilliant book about Muhammed Ali
World War Z - Max Brooks (read it before the new Brad Pitt movie)
The Passage - Justin Cronin
I am just finishing the Last Argument of kings triology by Joe Abercrombie and I enjoyed them a lot! Daft but funny.
Also read Rivers of London by Ben Aarovitch (or something similar) and thats was good too. However I did get a b it confused towards then end but I tend to read a lot, put it down for a few days, read a bit more etc....may have lost the thread a bit!
Currently reading Traitors Kiss by Gerald Seymour
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Finishing up rendells death of marco pantani
gonna look for ronchis book next as i found it rendells interestingn
Another book i read recently that had me gripped was rosie swale popes a little run round the world - for some reason i find runnin books to be much better reads than alot of cycle touring books. Beaumont, humphreys and lillwalls books just seem to be full of wallow and self pity and moaning alot of the way through - you almost feel sorry for them then i remember i would very happily swap my life for what they are doing .....
An exception to that is "long ride for a pie" by tim mulliner
Next trip i have the hungry cyclist and born to run to work through - my buddy reckoned i should get a kindle as he forgot to factor in you cant read a kindle in a helichopter - as he sat bored for a 1.5 hour flight.
chipping away at 'the fountainhead' by Ann Rand.
thoughtful ideas and characters
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<Hijack>
Who's writing good murder mystery novels right now? Kind of looking for something in the style of Iain Rankin.
</Hijack>
'A Game of Thrones'.
Can't be bothered to wait for the boxset.
I was reading 'Revelation Space' but got to page 102 and felt completely battered - real hard going, in fact too much.
Hereward by James Wilde - novel set around the Norman invasion of 1066. I am a big fan of historical fiction (Flashman, Hornblower, some Sharpe and other Cornwell) but I am struggling with this. The central character lacks charm and the supporting characters are not engaging. I will struggle on with it but it is a chore.
Before this I read the Game of Thrones books by George R. R. Martin and really enjoyed them. His characters were really great and he makes you care about even the supposed villains. His habit of killing off major characters makes you almost scared to turn the pages - compulsive.
The song of Phaid the gambler - Mick Farren (again!)
A history of the TDF - various
Just about to start Put me back on my bike too
Just finished Keith Richards Biography, Life
and just started The Fry Chronicles vol 1. and Hells Angels, Hunter s Thompson.