UKC

Anyone get any exciting books for christmas?

I've received, but not yet started, Sara Wheeler's new book 'Magnetic North', in which she wanders around the area north of the Arctic Circle. I've also got a book imagining that J.D.Salinger's great anti-hero Holden Caulfield (of Catcher in the Rye fame) has woken up 60 years later and is a little confused as to what happened to him in the intervening years.

What's on your pile?

In reply to Tall Clare:

Dave Macleod's new book (like everyone else) and "The End of Mr Y" by Scarlett Thomas which I really enjoyed.

In reply to Tall Clare:

I got Things the Grandchildren should know by Mark Oliver Everett (from Eels). It was actually a present for my brother but he got the same book off someone else (bizarrely he hadn't asked for it and it's not recently out) so I got to keep it

In reply to Tall Clare:

No actual books. I did get a Waterstones voucher for a fairly hefty sum off my boss though (she's also a keen reader) so I will be rectifying that very soon

Hmmm, what to buy though?!

In reply to Tall Clare: Richard Fortey's "Dry Store Room No 1, A Secret History of the Natural History Museum."

My sister has given me vouchers for the best book shop in Melbourne but my "to be read" pile is still rather large so I'm trying to stay away....but.....how long........can I resist!

In reply to Tall Clare:

Predictioneer - Bruce Bueno de Mesquita. A popular science approach to describing how game theory works and can be applied to conflict resolution.

The Art of War - Sun Tzu.

Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel

Of those, I've only read Predictioneer and it's a pretty good introduction. You don't really finish the book feeling like you understand game theory but it does provide a new way of looking at conflict situations and it is entertainingly written.

In reply to Tall Clare:

I got "The Greatest Sci-Fi Movies Never Made" by David Hughes. Engagingly written and nice Hollywood anecdote stuff, but it seems very much "in one ear and out the other".
And the new Adrian Mole.

And that's it.
I gave away some interesting ones, and whilst doing the rounds of the charity shops just before Christmas, I picked up a few for myself (Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage by Hermann Buhl probably being the best)

Oh your Arctic Sara prompted me to check - yes "Far North" is by Sara Maitland

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Far-North-Other-Dark-Tales/dp/1904559271/ref=sr_1_3...

In reply to kathrync:

Should be valid in HMV. Go and get some Electrelane albums.

In reply to Tall Clare: Perfume by Patrick Suskind is my next one to start. Just finished reading The Vanishing by Tim Krabbe on your recomendation. Was fine until the end which was rather disturbing/bloody horrible. Great book though.

In reply to Tall Clare:

I got a big pile for Christmas:
I've just finished Christopher Brookmyre's 'Pandaemonium' - usual Brookmyre stuff, thoroughly entertaining and the occasional nice wee twist.

I'm currently on Nicholas Shakespeare's biography of Bruce Chatwin. Chatwin was a fascinating character, with an astonishing ability to be drawn into the circle of interesting people. It's a very good biog - by no means a hagiography, with Chatwin coming across as having significant flaws, for all his talents.

Next will be either Iain Banks' 'Transition', which I think is a bit of a fusion between his usual contemporary fiction (which I really like) and his sci-fi (which I don't), or Paul Auster's new novel, which has had mixed reviews. Looking forward to both.

In reply to Tall Clare:

I got "deaf sentence" by David Lodge. Don't bother, it's a rampling pile of toss.

In reply to 999thAndy: Obviously that ^^^ should read "rambling". A Rampling pile of toss would probably have been more fun.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

lol

I did poach a book off my uncle; The QI Book of the Dead, which was surprisingly engaging, although I had to give it back before I had finished it...

In reply to Tall Clare: I got the Michael Palin diaries which I haven't started yet.

In reply to Tall Clare:

Rick wakeman's grumpy old rock star book
Hunter Davies' wainwright biography
Hunter Davies' walk around the lake district
Edward talbot. The Coronation Scot: The streamline era on the LMS

In reply to Tall Clare: "50 Physics facts you thought you'd forgotten", "The book of Andrew" - a collections of facts/quotes/anecdotes all about/attributed to blokes called Andrew (that being my name!), a couple of recipe books for cookies and chocolate cakes (Mmm), and another one who's name escapes me. Nothing which you might call worthy or important, but fun books.

We have a tradition in our family that everyone gets a present of a book and a chocolate orange (or equivalent!) on Boxing Day!

In reply to Tall Clare: I got The Road, byt wotsit McCarthy only to see that it's been made into a film.

In reply to Tall Clare: Beer books mostly. So far I've read the entertaining 'Hops and Glory' by Pete Brown, and I'll be starting on the excellently named Randy Mosher's 'Tasting beer' soon.

In reply to Zygoticgema:

I don't follow you...?

In reply to Tall Clare: The best book title in our family this year was the one my broher got, which was titled "Mauve: How one man invented a colour that changed the world" - he likes books with strange titles!

In reply to Tall Clare:

A Place of Greater Safety - Hilary Mantel. (and Dave Mac's training book but that doesn't count really)

The missus' sister always buys me books she'd want to read herself but doesn't have the time. Guarantees me a good book at least twice a year! Far beeter than half the dross I pick for myself.

In reply to Tall Clare:
I got 'Daglarimiz' a huge volume all about Turkish mountains. Too big for my bookshelfs actually Unfortunately its in Turkish, so at the moment I only understand parts of it

In reply to Tall Clare:

The Americans by Robert Franks
Workers by Sebastiao Salgado and
Tir a'Mhurain by Paul Strand.

All beautiful.

In reply to Tall Clare:

I received "8 Rooms" which is 8 different short stories.

Just finished it and gave it 5/10. It was all a bit doom, gloom and a poor attempt at social commentary for me.

In reply to Removed User:

very nice! I'm more of a fan of Frank's later work, but I still reckon he's my favourite photographer overall.

In reply to Zygoticgema:

I look forward to your thread pointing out all the differences and omissions in the film adaptation.

In reply to Blue Straggler: If I enjoy the book I shall steer clear of the film. I am tired of being disappinted with film adaptations

In reply to Tall Clare:

100 Years of Solitude.

Interesting so far, am expecting great things.

In reply to Tall Clare:
Thin White Line by Andy Cave (signed by the man himself)

In reply to Zygoticgema:

This one is said to be astonishingly good though.
I bet you end up seeing it.

In reply to Zygoticgema:

Like Clare, I don't follow this:
" only to see that it's been made into a film"

Could you elaborate on what you are getting at, please?

In reply to ClimberEd:

oo, that's on my pile. What did you end up getting after that thread just before christmas?

In reply to Tall Clare:

Monkey.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_(novel)

amongst others

In reply to Tall Clare:
Haute Provence by Adrian Berry

The plot is a bit predictable

In reply to Blue Straggler:


I'm sure it'll be an excellent film but unless it actually sticks to the storyline then it shouldn't be called the same title as the book as it's no longer the same story.... this is a different topic all together so I'll stop now.

In reply to Tall Clare:

got 'Touching the void' by Joe simpson, which im darn excited to start reading, and 'The undercover economist' by Tim Hardford which im half way through and loving; You'll never look at your takeaway coffee the same way again

In reply to Tall Clare:
Enclosure by Andy Goldsworthy
Scotlands mountains by Joe Cornish
A teach yourself handwriting book
Cider with roadies by Stuart Maconie but I've not started it yet.

I have a load of book tokens as well, so quite a good haul this year.

In reply to Tall Clare:

A selection from an independent publisher 'Eland' which you very rarely see in bookstores. Can be bought direct from the publisher or available at a significant discount through the corporate behemoth Amazon, if you support a future consisting of ghost-written Katie Price novels available only on an electronic tablet, but I digress.

They don't have a very long list and specialise in quality travel writing.

This Christmas Mrs. S got me 'A cure for Serpents' by The Duke of Pirajno and 'Golden Earth' by Norman Lewis.

Eland are on: http://www.travelbooks.co.uk/index.asp

In reply to Tall Clare:

My parents surprised me with Gaston Rébuffat's
'The Mont Blanc Massif: The Hundred Finest Routes'

Well Pleased!

In reply to Tall Clare:

"Cyclecraft" by Robert Franklin, which I've read and it does what it says on the tin - I think I should read it again and work out what I can actually apply. And "A Great Face for Radio" by someone whose name I have forgotten, which I haven't started yet having been distracted by re-reading a book I'd lent to someone.

In reply to Tall Clare:
I asked for the complete works of Karl Popper, but got instead the complete works of Frederick Forsyth.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

I was appalled that they'd used pictures to tell the whole story rather than words.

That said, The Road would making a cracking graphic novel.

In reply to Tall Clare:

I got the Friendship Book 2010, by Francis Gay (my mum gives it to me every year. I used to collect them but I don't have the heart to tell her I don't anymore... Well, I suppose I still do since I don't throw them away...)

and

The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse

Nothing particularly taxing or controversial, but I like the writing style and stories that Kate publishes and they're very easy reading.

In reply to marie:


my mum read that when we went to the Czech Republic last year, and reports that it's 'very good'.

In reply to Tall Clare:

The new ed. of Rivers and Lochs of Scotland - Bruce Sandison. Utterly brilliant but lacking any narrative

In reply to Wrongfoot:

Does it flow well? Is it a good reed? Do you like dipping into it?

etc etc.

In reply to Tall Clare: The Winter Ghosts is, I understand, an elaboration/extension of Kate's short story The Cave - which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I just hope that she didn't give too much away in The Cave and kept some finer detail for The Winter Ghosts or it's going to seem a bit repetitive in places.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

LOL only missing the obvious reference to "depth".

In reply to Tall Clare:

I can't remember, I short listed 3, including a couple of yours, and my local shop didn't have any of them!

I think I ended up buying Twilight, so that I could join in on office gossip

In reply to Tall Clare:

James Cracknell and Ben Fogle - The Crossing
James Cracknell and Ben Fogle - Race to the Pole
Charley Boorman - Right to the edge
Charley Boorman - Race to Dakar

all books i have been meaning to read for a while but not got round to buying..... Race to the pole is reading well so far! much recommended, not started the others yet.

In reply to Tall Clare:
David Constantine's 'The Sheiling', a short-story collection which I'm part-way through and am struggling to finish because I keep having to re-read each one. They're that good; stories that are elliptical, alarming, sad, but always possessed of a humanity and humour that set them way above the average. Brilliant

In reply to Bob Kemp:

bugger - just looked on Amazon and read a review of Under the Dam by him (no reviews of The Shieling). Sounds fantastic. Unfortunately I have a new year's resolution not to buy books.

oo, I'll have to check out the library

Thanks for the recommendation.

In reply to Tall Clare: David Simon's 'Homicide' (a year in the life of Baltimore's homicide squad) was gripping! Karim Fossum's 'The Water's Edge' was a very good psychological detective thriller set in Sweden. Am now starting The Monsters of Templeton and awaiting The Behaviour of Moths and The Elegance of the Hedgehog - this reading blitz would not have been possible without a bout of flu!

In reply to Marc C:

When I started reading that I thought it was fiction and got increasingly frustrated that their appeared to be quite a few of the cases i.e. story threads that would not be solved/conclude. That's just real life I guess! I enjoyed it far more when I realised it was a fly on the wall thing.

In reply to Tall Clare:
Have a look at the Guardian review by M. John Harrison - that'll really test your resolution!

In reply to galpinos: Yeah, I FELT the detective's frustration at being unable to pin the Latonya Wallace murder on the Fish Man

In reply to Tall Clare: A Reed Shaken by the Wind, Gavin Maxwell, which was written fifty odd years ago. It's about the marshlands of Iraq and the tribes there. Maxwell travels with Thesiger, giving an interesting account of a land and people which will never be seen again.

In reply to MeMeMe:

WHAT! Is there something I should have been told?

I got "The Staffordshire Hoard" from my wife. I also bought her a copy

And "How to improve your IQ by Eating Gifted Children" from my number two son. I'm trying to work out if he gets his warped sense of humour through his genes or his upbringing.

Y.

In reply to Tall Clare:
Conquistadors...
The Colditz story...
and had the Ascent of Rum Doodle waiting for me when I got back, courtesy of Tony the Blade. Reading all three but half way through rum doodle now and have a slight case of irish lassitude, send on some champagne...

In reply to Tall Clare: 'Fly fishing' by JR Hartley .

The Villain.

In reply to Tall Clare: Got Monstrous Regiment, Pyramids, Interesting Times and Hogfather (all Terry Pratchett ofc). Also Psychovertical & the Beckoning Silence, I'm such a punter... Somebody bought me a book called 'Zoology' by Ben Dolnick, haven't started that one yet. I got given a stack of vouchers so I bought a ropework/technique book and ordered the Burgess Book of Lies, but it won't arrive for a wee while yet. Also my great uncle gave me a load of north west & lakes climbing guidebooks from when he used to climb in the early 70's, the guy's 80 next year and still goes for a run every morning, even in winter. I'm tempted to get him back on the crags.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

I bought one of those for my mum and one for me. It has its funny moments but not her best, in my opinion

In reply to Tall Clare:

Conditioning for climbers and Eastern grit, I was happy.

In reply to Yrmenlaf:


You mean you didn't get Dave Macleod's new book?
I can only assume you've been very bad and santa doesn't love you...