Recommended Reading

**bennocelt** · 17/06/2009, 9:17 AM

Finished "The Insider" by Piers Morgan.

Had to say I loved it, really interesting to see the murky world of tabloid pressrooms. Dog eat dog, no love lost, etc.
Piers Morgan is one of those guys that I should really hate (he loves Tatcher for example!), but I like him. He is honest and very witty.
Funny to see how he got all those big scoops, and it gives a good account of Blairs reign (or should that be Mandy and Campbell's reign), Diana, and even Sineid O connor gets a mention!

**Dodge** · 17/06/2009, 9:28 AM

Does he mention publishing the fake iraq war photos?

**Wangball** · 17/06/2009, 9:41 AM

I read Bonfire of the Vanities (by Tom Wolfe) recently and it was excellent, this led me of to his other most famous book The Right Stuff, have to say its very entertaining but it can be a bit odd sometimes, its as if he has a big boy crush on some of the pilots.

I seen earlier someone mentioning Man On Fire by Quinnell as a good read, there is actually a whole series of Creasy novels, he's not CIA (or black!) as in the film but an ex Legionnaire - very similar to the original Bourne trilogy but excellent all the same

For a funny read I'd recommend I love you Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle, its very very good, he wrote a whole rake of Simpsons episodes and the humour is quite apparent...its also going to be a film soon!

**bennocelt** · 18/06/2009, 9:23 AM

Originally Posted by Dodge

Does he mention publishing the fake iraq war photos?

yea - thats how he starts the book

actually he goes on about the war a lot, which was a but surprising (but good), and i have to say i admire his stance on it (anti -war)

finished another one yesterday

Will Storr Versus the Supernatural

Brilliant, and def recommend it. A former Loaded writer (when loaded was good back in the day!) sets out to discover the world of the supernatural. It is kind of a spirtual journey. the writer is trying to figure out his meaning in life, and if there really is such a thing as ghosts and the like. Its written like a novel and the humour is very dead pan (loaded style). He starts off as a definite non believer but as the book progresses he begins to wonder if maybe there something to all this paranormal stuff. He meets witches, occultists, spirtualists, clairvoyants, ghost hunters, the catholic church and their excorisms, and revisits the famous Enfield poltergeist case.
Have to say I am reading a lot on the occult at the moment, and am asking a lot of my own questions on what i beleive, etc so this book was definitely something i could tune into.
Despite your viewpoint - its a bloody good read, check it out

**pineapple stu** · 11/08/2010, 12:52 PM

Bump.

Read This is Paradise - My North Korean Childhood by Hyok Kang there last month. The author was bron in North Korea and lived there till the age of about 13 when the family escaped to China and eventually to South Korea (some of the dates in the book don't tally, but there's a note at the start saying dates and names have been changed to protect others). He talks about everyday growing up - school, family and friends, favourable treatment because a relative had been pictured with Kim Jung Il, public executions, famine, forced labour camps, TV - and then moves on to the family's escape to China and down east Asia to South Korea. I read it in a day; very easy to read book, told with a child's simplicity (although Hyok was around 20 when he wrote the book, in conjunction with a journalist). He ends by basically acknowledging just how brainwashed he was - the family had no intention of going to South Korea initially because they believed everything they'd seen on telly about how it was a nasty place with regular riots. He's also very forthright about how he's found it very hard to fit in in South Korea.

If you've any interest in what's arguably the most fascinating country in the world - for all the wrong reasons admittedly - get a hold of this book. Really excellent.

**Kingdom** · 17/08/2010, 2:15 AM

Originally Posted by Wangball

Less related, I recently re-read Papillon & the follow up book Banco, they are now my 2 favourite books, really great reads,!

I agree! Papillion took me in so much that the last few days of my last holiday were quite tense due to my complete lack of interest in doing anything bar read and eat.

**passinginterest** · 20/08/2010, 3:06 PM

The Millennium Trilogy has gotten a few mentions on the film review thread and it deserves a mention in here. It took me a while to get into the first book (Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) but once it gets going it fairly rips along and continues all the way through the other two (Girl Who Played With Fire & Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest) which more or less need to be read as one long book. The first novel stands alone quite well, but I don�t think you could finish the second without wanting to jump straight into the third.
The books raise plenty of moral issues regarding sexuality and mental health while managing to stay thoroughly engaging, I have seen a few complaints that they're overly graphic in places, but personally I didn't think there was an issue. The story is probably a little far fetched at times but I think you get dragged in well enough to suspend disbelief and just go with the flow.

**A N Mouse** · 26/08/2010, 3:05 PM

Someone mentioned Death and the Penguin, has anyone read any other Kurkov?

Being reading Carl Ruiz Zaf�n - Shadow of the Wind and Angel's Game. Latest one is a translation of one of his earlier children's books The Prince of Mist - I can only describe it as Bulgakov meets Enid Blyton.

**shakermaker1982** · 28/08/2010, 2:52 PM

I'd recommend Acts of violence.

I'm currently reading Stuart Neville's 'Collusion' and am ripping through it. His first novel (the twelve) is worth checking out.

**thischarmingman** · 31/08/2010, 3:37 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Bump.

Read This is Paradise - My North Korean Childhood by Hyok Kang there last month. The author was bron in North Korea and lived there till the age of about 13 when the family escaped to China and eventually to South Korea (some of the dates in the book don't tally, but there's a note at the start saying dates and names have been changed to protect others). He talks about everyday growing up - school, family and friends, favourable treatment because a relative had been pictured with Kim Jung Il, public executions, famine, forced labour camps, TV - and then moves on to the family's escape to China and down east Asia to South Korea. I read it in a day; very easy to read book, told with a child's simplicity (although Hyok was around 20 when he wrote the book, in conjunction with a journalist). He ends by basically acknowledging just how brainwashed he was - the family had no intention of going to South Korea initially because they believed everything they'd seen on telly about how it was a nasty place with regular riots. He's also very forthright about how he's found it very hard to fit in in South Korea.

If you've any interest in what's arguably the most fascinating country in the world - for all the wrong reasons admittedly - get a hold of this book. Really excellent.

If you liked it you should get this recently published, highly-acclaimed book: Nothing to Envy. I saw it in Hodges Figgis the other day, I think it was only E8 or E9.

**Spudulika** · 31/08/2010, 4:06 PM

I re-read the book "Stalin's Ghost" by Martin Cruz Smith last week, it's the last(I think) in the Renko novels (the first being Gorky Park). For anyone who saw and enjoyed the movie, you cannot help but hear William Hurt in the books, so good was his portrayal of Arkady Renko. Quite sad in parts but like the rest of the series absolutely rivetting.

**pineapple stu** · 31/08/2010, 4:32 PM

Originally Posted by thischarmingman

If you liked it you should get this recently published, highly-acclaimed book: Nothing to Envy. I saw it in Hodges Figgis the other day, I think it was only E8 or E9.

It's in the pile.

I bumped the other one up my reading bundle after flicking through it because it was just that fascinating. There's few enough books on North Korea; Aquariums of Pyongyang is another, about a North Korean's ten year stint in the gulags.

**SkStu** · 31/08/2010, 5:48 PM

on a slightly off topic note, and prompted by PS's use of the word bundle, has anyone got or heard much about the Kindle? Not sure if i fancy or would be able to concentrate on reading stuff on a screen like that.

**pineapple stu** · 01/09/2010, 9:32 AM

I couldn't see myself reading books on screen alright. But it'll probably take off with younger people, and in a couple of generations, you'll have people saying they couldn't see themselves reading books on paper.

**dahamsta** · 01/09/2010, 10:52 AM

I have the Kindle app on my Android, with some free books. I haven't had a chance to test it properly yet, but it is surprisingly readable and I am going to try reading something on it properly in the cot. It that works out, I'll probably buy a Kindle for the form factor.

**thischarmingman** · 01/09/2010, 10:56 AM

Could never read a book on a screen. I'll be sticking to paper and print.

Plus, you can't trawl second hand ebook stores of an afternoon can you?

**A N Mouse** · 01/09/2010, 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by thischarmingman

Could never read a book on a screen. I'll be sticking to paper and print.

Plus, you can't trawl second hand ebook stores of an afternoon can you?

By the sounds of things you may as well spend your thursday night doing exactly this

The proper eInk displays don't need to be constantly refreshed, and as such don't flicker. An full colour eink tablet pc sounds pretty sweet to me. Might even see some announcements, from ifa, this week.

Also lg recently announced plans to start producing two sizes of e-paper display into production

**thischarmingman** · 01/09/2010, 5:40 PM

Originally Posted by A N Mouse

By the sounds of things you may as well spend your thursday night doing exactly this

Touche.

I wish people didn't know about my Thursday nights. Thanks John83.

**SkStu** · 18/04/2011, 4:33 PM

really enjoyed the books - "3 Cups Of Tea" and the follow up "Stones Into Schools". Thought it was a really good account of selflessness and bravery until i saw this article on bbc this morning. Reading of his statement in response and the documents posted on the ikat website does address some of the issues but still...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13112799

**Eminence Grise** · 21/04/2011, 9:52 PM

Been dipping in and out of Harry Boland's Irish Revolution, by David Fitzpatrick, for work over the last few weeks. Really superb biography, it brings the tragedy of the civil war to life.

Bedtime reading is Heartstone, by CJ Sansom, the fifth in a series of whodunnits set in Tudor England. The first four were very enjoyable - just enough historical detail, and the bodies stacked up at a decent pace! Bit of a sucker for good historical fiction, but I'm up to date with most of the writers I like (Bernard Cornwell, Susanna Gregory, Ellis Peters, Bernard Knight). Any suggestions, anyone?