Your top 5 books

[Nive la France]

Watched the Sky at Night last night and noticed a copy of The Overstory on one of the presenters' bookshelves

Also Piketty's Capital next to a massive book on Stalin on one of the guests':



That one needs watching

[Jeff Resnick]

Waiting for The Portobello Bookshop's online store to reopen and The Overstory will be purchased.

[Nive la France]

Keep me posted

[Dr. Colossus]

Did you read The Cold Six Thousand ?  Thought it pretty good at the time and believed it just a matter of time before it was made into a movie but ...

Since then I've read a review or two of it and get the impression that because it was the sequel (or 2nd in the trilogy) it/he lost the lustre that American Tabloid had.  Thoughts?

Blood Meridian

I did read it aye. Afraid to say the reviews are correct, it's shite. The last part of that trilogy is better but still doesn't hold up. 

Give White Jazz a read. It's the last part of his LA Quartet and it's amazing. If you've seen LA Confidential it's the sequel to that but in the book the corrupt chief gets away with it and the Guy Pierce character still trying to get him.

I know you're a La Liga fan as well pondy, have you read Fear and Loathing in La Liga?

[Dr. Colossus]

Would recommend that anyone who enjoyed L'Etranger take a look at The Meursault Investigation by Kamel Daoud (Meursault Contre-Enquête in French - Daoud is Algerian, but wrote the original in French rather than Arabic. Being an intellectual, I have only read this version and not the English translation). It's written in the first person from the perspective of the brother of the Arab Meursault kills, and explores the failings of post-independence Algeria. Daoud is primarily a journalist, and in that capacity is actually a bit of a clown imo, but it's a really good novel.

Great shout. Actually compliments the original really well as a post colonialist piece

[pondlife]

I did read it aye. Afraid to say the reviews are correct, it's shite. The last part of that trilogy is better but still doesn't hold up. 

Give White Jazz a read. It's the last part of his LA Quartet and it's amazing. If you've seen LA Confidential it's the sequel to that but in the book the corrupt chief gets away with it and the Guy Pierce character still trying to get him.

I know you're a La Liga fan as well pondy, have you read Fear and Loathing in La Liga?

Nice one, Doc I'll get onto American Tabloid and White Jazz then. No, not read F&LiLL but may check it out.

[King WillDred of Orange]

Finished the catcher in the rye. Holden caulfield is a prick like most 16 year old boys are pricks. I enjoyed it though.

[Steven Toast]

I Partridge is very, very funny. Would also recommend the Bob Servant books by Neil Forsyth for good comedy.

Don't read much fiction these days but enjoyed the Flashman series when I read them. Also read all the Game of Thrones books which varied in quality. Storm of Swords easily being the best of them.

Went through a period of reading Clive Barker. His short stories are pretty fucked up.

[Mikey]

[Diego Armando Toblerone]

I'll see your three and raise you two.

[King WillDred of Orange]

Think I'm going to go for Animal Farm next.

Will likely look to read a Dickens, is there a one that really should be read?

[Cheeky Gnando’s]

A Christmas Carol is genuinely in my top 5. I absolutely love it. One of the few books I've read multiple times.

[Jeff Resnick]

If anyone's looking for new reading material and wants to 'support local', The Portobello Bookshop has reopened for deliveries.

[Diego Armando Toblerone]

Received Catcher in the Rye and I Partridge in the post today, will decide which to start on tomorrow I reckon.

[Nive la France]

Decided the next five books I'm going to read will be by POC authors. Starting today with Maya Angelou's "Gather Together In My Name", and I've got "White Teeth" by Zadie Smith after that - anyone want to chuck some more names at me? .

Had a wee look through my shelf there and I've got enough to do it with what I've already read, but I fancy some new stuff. Can recommend Arundhati Roy, Anita Desai, Pedro Juan Gutierrez, Junot Diaz, and Helon Habila if anyone wants to do something similar  

[Mikey]

Dunno if you just want novels but I read Sugar Ray Leonard's autobiography a few years ago and it was amazing.

What a life