Books

[Puckoon]

Just finished Bad luck and trouble by Lee Child. Jack Reacher is at it again.

[J70]

Matt Taibbi's new book about Dubya-era America promises to be good if the excerpt he had in Rolling Stone about his incognito weekend retreat with John Hagee's crazy fundamendalist christian group is any guide!

I think its just out or coming out and is called "The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics, and Religion at the Twilight of the American Empire"

His political stuff in Rolling Stone is excellent. Pretty good coverage of the campaign trail on the Bill Maher show too.

YouTube piece about the book here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku8JRW3cz1E

[downredblack]

Just started  Ska'd for life by Horace Panther (bass player with the Specials) For anyone who was into the SKA / 2Tone scene back then it's worth a trip down memory lane .

[laceer]

Just read Mr Nice by Howard Marks. Amazing story..you actually grow to like him the more you read, despite him being the worlds biggest dope smuggler for about 20 years!

[mylestheslasher]

Just finished the 'Book Thief' by Markus Zusak. Very unusual but touching book.

No way - just read that myself. Excellent book. Must be a Cavan thing!

[5 Sams]

The road - Cormac McCarthy.

Father and young son in post apocalyptic America.

Short book, short sentences that snap and crackle. Some of it will stay with me a long time.
Long tim since I read a book as good.

Just finished No Country for Old Men Mack...the reviews of the Road are deadly ...probably be my next purchase!

Just finished "The Road". I can see why people have described this book as a masterpiece. Haunting tale....and one of the most original novels I have ever read.

[stiff breeze]

For an excellent read you should all try and get your hands on a copy of EarthDog Running Dog.  Would be very informative for all you city slickers

[Zapatista]

Reading 'Flat Earth News' by Nick Davis. For those of you here who pick up on everything in the papers this is a must read for you.

[Hurler on the Bitch]

Not sure If they have been mentioned - Pete McCarthy's travel books are great

"McCarthy's Bar" and "The Road to McCarthy" are brilliant - first one is a eejit meetin, stout drinkin, hill walkin traipse from West Cork to Lough Derg.  Trying to find his spiritual home...As he says - never pass a bar with your name on it!  He's great at writing about the situations we have all found ourselves in, and nutters we have all met

2nd one is a similar jaunt only overseas - from meeting the "McCarty Mor" in Tangiers and various other headers - to a tour of NYC on paddies day to Van diemens land and beyond.

Very very funny writer

another in the same vein - "Larkin about in Ireland" by John Larkin (Aussie) - totally different writer who was more bemused by Ireland, i think, than impressed - bit of a sarky git but not too bad either - not in the same league as McCarthy though

Pity that Pete McCarthy died just when his star was in the ascendancy............................................... Though though that it was a bit 'stage Irish' with stories of Nuns etc .. in fact the cover of McCarthy's Bar had a Nun - Penguin Style drinking Guinness on the flip side.. now I'm not a sceptic but .. it all seemed a bit Father Ted ..

[Niall Quinn]

Pity that Pete McCarthy died just when his star was in the ascendancy............................................... Though though that it was a bit 'stage Irish' with stories of Nuns etc .. in fact the cover of McCarthy's Bar had a Nun - Penguin Style drinking Guinness on the flip side.. now I'm not a sceptic but .. it all seemed a bit Father Ted ..

Many words to say nothing?
I enjoyed McCarthy's Bar - he was very comfortable in his writing style and had a good eye for life's subtleties.

[Hardy]

I thought it was top class comic writing.

I recently discovered another classic - A Confederacy Of Dunces, a hilarious comic work by John Kennedy Toole (American). It was written in the early 60s, when he was in his mid-20s and his failure to get it published led to his suicide in 1969 at the age of 32. His mother took up the cause and eventually got it published in 1981. It won a pulitzer prize.

Highly recommended.

[magickingdom]

Just read Mr Nice by Howard Marks. Amazing story..you actually grow to like him the more you read, despite him being the worlds biggest dope smuggler for about 20 years!

thanks for the tip laceer just finished it and a very good read. you do actually grow to like him, tho i was delighted the yanks got him in the end. he had no problem making unknown millions out of it no matter what he says. just got judys version now so we'll see how that goes (judys grandfather was patrick murphy the catholic ruc man joe cahill was convicted of killing).

[maggie]

Hold My Hand- Glenys Carl- A true story about a young fella who has an accident in Austraila and then is left brain damaged. Had me in bits- amazing story.

[The Gs Man]

Just finished "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac.  Absolutely class.

Just started "Crime", the new one by Irvine Welsh.

[mouview]

At The Tomb Of The Inflatable Pig by John Gimlette

Kind of history / travelogue of Paraguay , very humerous and extremely entertaining.