Paid Members Carbomb Posted June 7, 2024 Paid Members Posted June 7, 2024 3 minutes ago, Keith Houchen said: I BET YOU ARE CARBOMB YOU DIRTY OLD BOLLOCKS I BET YOU FUCKING ARE!! (Ahh it’s been a while!) Many, many times...
Paid Members hallicks Posted July 11, 2024 Paid Members Posted July 11, 2024 The book of love - Kelly Link Couldn’t tell you the genre - magic is heavily involved but it’s nothing like any fantasy novel I’ve read. I almost want to put it near Robert Rankin’s “far fetched fiction”, although almost none the characters are whimsical, except maybe the main villain. Without wanting to get too spoilery, three high school age children (and one unknown hanger-on) are brought back from the dead, they don’t know how they died, but now they’re back, they’re tasked with finding out what happened. The characterisation is wonderful, the tone and humour is generally sardonic, and there are some genuinely touching moments. It’s loooong, but such a joy and a really compulsive read. Absolutely loved spending time with the characters. Some really laugh out loud moments, perhaps it leans a little too much on cultural references, but it’s brilliant. If you’ve got 13-15 hours to kill, give it a whirl. The Glass Box - J. Michael Straczynski Psychological thriller set in an almost-dystopian near-future USA. Basically it’s a “what could happen if Trump gets in again and public dissent becomes even more criminalised”. Protestors that have been arrested have the choice between jail time or a “softer” option, which is something like a mental hospital where they try to reprogram the personalities of the offenders. An absolute blast, JMS’s writing style is marvellous. And only 300 pages so it doesn’t hang around at all.
SaitoRyo Posted March 12, 2025 Posted March 12, 2025 Does anyone even read anymore? Not really, according to a survey from last year which found that more than a third of UK adults had given up reading for pleasure, or a new poll which found that 40% of Britons haven't read a book in the past year. You worry for the future of reading, don't you? Anyway, I pretty much always have a book on the go. I feel like it's essential given that I work on a computer all day and thus am constantly staring at a fucking screen. After eight hours on a laptop, I really don't fancy looking at my laptop, phone or television for a prolonged period of time. I am also a writer, so it's obviously good to read stuff written by other people for ideas, inspiration, phrases you can steal etc... I've just finished reading Truckload of Art: The Life and Work of Terry Allen, a beefy biography of Lubbock's anomaly, the artist and country music singer equally at home in a lowdown Texas honky tonk bar as The Met. I've been interested in Allen's work and career for a while, but this gave me a whole new appreciation for him and really helped contextualise his work, particularly the symbiotic relationship between his art (varied as it is) and his music. The only criticism I'd have is that it seems to spend a lot longer discussing everything pre-1990s and then feels like it breezes through everything thereafter. To be fair, Allen's most notable works were created in the 1970s and 80s, so I understand it. Anyway, a great biography, one of the best I've read for a long time and thoroughly recommended for anyone who may have even a passing interest in Allen's career.
Paid Members Carbomb Posted March 12, 2025 Paid Members Posted March 12, 2025 I've found myself going in the opposite direction - mainly because there was a period of a few years in my life where I didn't read regularly and consistently, and I wasn't happy with that: reading is my first love (hard to avoid when you're the son of a publisher), and getting back to it has felt wholesome and reassuring, like I'm "getting back to being me", so to speak. I've made a point now of having several books on the go, depending on what I'm in the mood for at the time. Currently reading The Liveship Traders: Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb for my sci-fi/fantasy fix, All About Love by Bell Hooks for non-fiction (with a touch of self-improvement), Elements of Eloquence by Mark Forsyth for advice on writing (as recommended by Alan Moore in his BBC Maestro course), Meditations In An Emergency by Frank O'Hara for poetry, and How To Write Smart Notes by Sonke Ahrens for advice on constructing a Zettelkasten.
Paid Members DCW Posted March 12, 2025 Paid Members Posted March 12, 2025 I get through a few books a month. Reading 'Your Face Belongs to Us' by Kashmir Hill at the moment. Quite a scary read about a small tech/AI company that is currently only selling powerful facial recognition tech to law enforcement and governments. Finished 'Prophet Song' by Paul Lynch last week. Great albeit disturbing read about how quickly democracy can fall under control totalitarian regime. I try to use second hand or local, small booksellers for my books. Failing that, I've a rakuten ebook so I can avoid giving any cash to Amazon.
Paid Members Carbomb Posted March 12, 2025 Paid Members Posted March 12, 2025 9 minutes ago, DCW said: I try to use second hand or local, small booksellers for my books. Failing that, I've a rakuten ebook so I can avoid giving any cash to Amazon. Good man. As a stakeholder in a local community bookshop, I heartily approve! Fuck Amazon, and fuck Bezos.
Moderators Chest Rockwell Posted March 12, 2025 Moderators Posted March 12, 2025 (edited) I like the convenience of buying online. Are there any good online places to order secondhand that meet your ethical concerns? I don't mind paying a little more if it comes to it. I use world of books atm, as I know they are at least British and not owned by Amazon. But don't know if there's other issues with them... Edited March 12, 2025 by Chest Rockwell
Paid Members Carbomb Posted March 12, 2025 Paid Members Posted March 12, 2025 (edited) 12 minutes ago, Chest Rockwell said: I like the convenience of buying online. Are there any good online places to order secondhand that meet your ethical concerns? I don't mind paying a little more if it comes to it. I use world of books atm, as I know they are at least British and not owned by Amazon. But don't know if there's other issues with them... Bookshop.org is an excellent site - it's a nexus site for a whole host of independent bookshops. EDIT: Ah, sorry - missed that you wanted one for secondhand. Not sure - now that the Book Depository is gone, it may be that World of Books is your best bet. I haven't heard anything bad about them, but I haven't set out to find out. Edited March 12, 2025 by Carbomb Adrian Mutu
Paid Members Onyx2 Posted March 12, 2025 Paid Members Posted March 12, 2025 We lost Terry Pratchett ten years ago today. And I do mean lost. GNU Sir Terry.
Paid Members Jesse Posted March 12, 2025 Paid Members Posted March 12, 2025 I like to read while I cook & eat dinner every day. Not long got done with S, the Doug Dorst thing that JJ Abrams name was attached to as like 'concept/story idea'. I enjoyed it despite it being pretty simple in construction compared to Danielewski's stuff. It's laid out as a novel by a secretive author, with footnotes by its translator. The margins are full of notes by two students who communicate solely through the book, giving historical context, discussing the identity of the author, working out the secret meaning behind the translator's notes, and ultimately building their relationship. It's cute, and I found it really simple to follow along with. Not one I'd revisit in favour of something like House of Leaves or The Familiar but a great entry point into that kind of work if you're interested.
Paid Members RedTwoster Posted March 12, 2025 Paid Members Posted March 12, 2025 Some of my recent reads: The Stornoway Way - Kevin MacNeil I gave this one a go as I was told it was like Trainspotting, but set in the Western Isles. I like Trainspotting (the book/film, not the activity) and I like the Western Isles. And the book…is OK. It has some real high points, but you can absolutely see that there is a better story in there. It’s let down by the ending I think, which is a definite weak point. It tackles subjects like alcoholism, drug use and suicide and it does so with a sense of humour. It’s pretty accurate with its portrayal of the culture of the island on which it’s set; during a specific time period at least. It’s an easy read in spite of the dark subject matter, and I’d hazard a guess and say you’ll probably enjoy it. I got through it pretty quickly, to its credit. The Wrestling - Simon Garfield I’m pretty certain a lot of you will have read this, but I hadn’t and I’m now glad that I have. It’s probably the best book about wrestling that I’ve ever read. I knew very little about British wrestling, outside of the very obvious and aspects of it covered on Wrestle Me. I thought this was brilliantly written and absolutely fascinating; and it somehow left me feeling nostalgic for a time I should have no nostalgia for given that, y’know, I wasn’t alive back then.
Paid Members Carbomb Posted March 12, 2025 Paid Members Posted March 12, 2025 (edited) 6 minutes ago, Jesse said: I like to read while I cook & eat dinner every day. Not long got done with S, the Doug Dorst thing that JJ Abrams name was attached to as like 'concept/story idea'. I enjoyed it despite it being pretty simple in construction compared to Danielewski's stuff. It's laid out as a novel by a secretive author, with footnotes by its translator. The margins are full of notes by two students who communicate solely through the book, giving historical context, discussing the identity of the author, working out the secret meaning behind the translator's notes, and ultimately building their relationship. It's cute, and I found it really simple to follow along with. Not one I'd revisit in favour of something like House of Leaves or The Familiar but a great entry point into that kind of work if you're interested. If you're into books that utilise the physical qualities of print, I recommend XX by Rian Hughes. He's also a graphic designer, so he puts that to good use in the book. Edited March 12, 2025 by Carbomb Dean Holdsworth
Paid Members DCW Posted March 12, 2025 Paid Members Posted March 12, 2025 1 hour ago, Chest Rockwell said: I like the convenience of buying online. Are there any good online places to order secondhand that meet your ethical concerns? I don't mind paying a little more if it comes to it. I use world of books atm, as I know they are at least British and not owned by Amazon. But don't know if there's other issues with them... I use Chapters in Dublin, which probably isn't much use to you with brexit import fees and currency exchange and all that shite. I paid 4.99 for a very good 2nd hand copy of prophet song vs 17.99 for a brand new copy. Definitely worth a wander around the shop if you ever find yerself with an hour or two to spare in Dublin. They've a lovely cafe and urban garden center too. https://chaptersbookstore.com/pages/about-us
Paid Members BomberPat Posted March 12, 2025 Paid Members Posted March 12, 2025 2 hours ago, Carbomb said: Elements of Eloquence by Mark Forsyth for advice on writing I love this book - I also read Forsyth's Etymologicon and Horologicon around the same time; the former is about unusual etymologies, and flows brilliantly from explaining one word's origin to using part of that story as a launchpad for a different word, so it's a really easy and often funny read, while the Horologicon is about words that fell out of usage. I read a lot, pretty much always have, aside from my last couple of years of secondary school and first couple of years of college. I probably spend more of my disposable income on books than anything else. If I have a spare afternoon with no plans and no one else about, I'll often just take a book and sit in a pub reading for a couple of hours, or if I'm due to meet someone, I'll always aim to get there a bit earlier to have time to just have a quiet drink and read for a while. I almost always read before bed, too. Because I spent three years or so writing a book, I spent a lot of that time only really having time to read for research, and getting further and further down research rabbit holes, reading three books on niche subjects just to ensure one sentence was probably accurate. My reading already skewed more towards non-fiction anyway, so coming out of that I promised myself I would try and read more fiction moving forward, and I've not quite managed that, but I do better at it than I had done for years. Foolishly, though, I then decided I would start a research-heavy podcast and try to start writing another book, so I'm kind of back where I started. Up until very recently, though, I would very rarely have more than one book on the go at once, unless one was a massive coffee table thing that was unfeasible to carry around with me. I've started trying to do that a bit more now; for the past few weeks I've read the research stuff for my podcast at home while reading fiction on the go, which really I just started because some of the stuff I was reading for research was stuff I couldn't be bothered explaining if anyone asked about it. So at the moment, I'm reading London Uncanny by Clive Bloom - it's about esoteric history and fiction in London; a lot of familiar ground for me, with talk of psychogeography, Iain Sinclair, Arthur Machen, Spring-Heeled Jack, and whatnot, so I probably don't appreciate it as much as I might if more of it was new to me, but parts of it have been very enjoyable. Fiction-wise, I've just started The Power & The Glory by Graham Greene, because I haven't read any of his stuff in years, and because I found a copy in knackered '70s paperback at my nearest second-hand bookshop for two quid. The "To-Read" pile is getting overwhelming, so I am trying to stop myself from buying any more books for a month or so at least, but we all know that's not happening.
Paid Members Carbomb Posted March 12, 2025 Paid Members Posted March 12, 2025 24 minutes ago, BomberPat said: The "To-Read" pile is getting overwhelming, so I am trying to stop myself from buying any more books for a month or so at least, but we all know that's not happening. Man, I hear that. Was feeling a bit down that I'll most likely never get to read all the books I would like to, but a friend cheered me up with the statement: "At least you'll never run out."
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