OT, books

[Plastic Hassle]

Straw Dogs - John Gray
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Straw-Dogs-Thou ... 093&sr=1-1

The Tao of Physics - Fritjof Capra
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tao-Physics-Fla ... 054&sr=8-1

[pulsoc]

Cormac McCarthy - Blood Meridian

John Gardner - Grendel

[stjohn]

Ishmael - Daniel Quinn

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishmael_(novel)

[Meef Chaloin]

the alchemist - Paulo Coelho (this could actually change your life...depending on how you like it....very inspirational)
Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe (a must read)
Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts
A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth (long & slow but worth it)
The Teachings of Don Juan - Carlos Castaneda

[furrybum]

The man who tasted shapes By Richard Cytowic
Wasp Factory By Iain Banks

[furrybum]

OOOOhh and High rise by J.G Ballard

Any book that starts off with somebody eating a dog must be good

[Meef Chaloin]

OOOOhh and High rise by J.G Ballard

Any book that starts off with somebody eating a dog must be good

yeah anything by Ballard is excellent, i liked Drought...proper bleak

[barry tone]

- a million little pieces
- my friend leonard ( the sequel)

by James Frey

[Bionecteur]

Could some kind Abe head recommend me a life changing book for me to read on my summer hols?


peas.

I liked and still like...


1) Magrave of the marshes (About John Peel) - John Peel

2) Mastering Audio - the art and science ( Boooob Katz)

3) Fear and loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson

[8O]

I liked and still like...

1) Magrave of the marshes (About John Peel) - John Peel

Yes! Highly recommended!

[andydes]

Try something by Dan Brown or JK Rowling. It'll change your life and make you swear you'll never pick up anything so badly writen and pointless again.

[8O]

...badly writen...

Tee-hee

[andydes]

Ah, shut it.

I don't make millions from my forum posts.



Edit: Oops, another bit of sloppy typing in that one too. I'll shut up now.

[brightonalex]

- a million little pieces
- my friend leonard ( the sequel)

by James Frey

Yes except it turned out that most of it is lies.

I am reading a book called "the reluctant fundamentalist" at the moment, which is really well written I think and quite addictive. Not life changing though.

[landrvr1]

I realize you're in the UK and might have zero interest in this, but.....

Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets
by Sudhir Venkatesh.

Just finished this book, and it's an amazing fucking piece of work. Venkatesh was a grad student here at the University of Chicago when he decided to study the urban poor. He ended up spending the next 7 years practically living in the Robert Taylor Homes (basically the worst housing project in America), and hung out with the Black Kings - Chicago's notorious gang.

When all you know of the urban poor and gangs comes from White Liberals (who have never set foot in a project, but seem to have all the answers as to how to make things better) and rap/hiphop artists (who have completed distorted and glamorized life on the street) this book is a real eye opener.

The most fascinating part was how closely life in the projects resembles life everywhere else. Far from the lawless 'Wild West' stereotype you see in the movies or hear in music, the projects and poor neighborhoods are cities unto themselves; where the Gangs act as defacto government, social services, police, etc. The structure of the gang is not unlike that of any corporation in the world; which is scary in and of itself. Practically everyone is a hustler; trying to get by anyway they can.

I could not put it down.