TSF Book Club

jegga

Has anyone else read HHhH? Halfway through it and its awesome.

Tim

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="jegga" data-cid="437540" data-time="1403551203">Has anyone else read HHhH? Halfway through it and its awesome.</blockquote>
 
Have heard it's really good. Will have to pick it up.

jegga

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Tim" data-cid="437541" data-time="1403552548">
Have heard it's really good. Will have to pick it up.</blockquote>
 
I just finished it , it's superb . I hope he writes more books, this one obviously took it out of him though as was consumed by writing it.

jegga

Does anyone have any good books about world war one they'd recommend? My son gave me a great book about it a while ago and I'd be keen to read more, not necessarily just from a kiwi perspective -the book my boy gave me was pretty enlightening about the Canadians who seemed to always be sent into the worst places and if theres anything you'd recommend about them I'd be stoked.

gollum

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="jegga" data-cid="443652" data-time="1407139064">
<div>
Does anyone have any good books about world war one they'd recommend? My son gave me a great book about it a while ago and I'd be keen to read more, not necessarily just from a kiwi perspective -the book my boy gave me was pretty enlightening about the Canadians who seemed to always be sent into the worst places and if theres anything you'd recommend about them I'd be stoked.
</div>
</blockquote>
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.amazon.co.uk/World-War-One-Short-History-ebook/dp/B002RI9QDU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407144260&sr=8-1&keywords=short+history+world+war+1'>http://www.amazon.co.uk/World-War-One-Short-History-ebook/dp/B002RI9QDU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407144260&sr=8-1&keywords=short+history+world+war+1</a>

<span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span>World War One: A Short History by Norman Stone</span></span></span>

Does exactly what is says on the tin, 180 pages, very easy read, great overview of the whole thing. Really excellent book, you'll either go "thats just what I wanted to know, I'm done". Or it'll set you up to plough through the other 700 page slog fests about it.
 
The Sleepwalkers, by Christopher Clark, is great, and huge, but focuses on how the war came about, as opposed to the war itself. Really good read after only ever hearing "Franz Ferdinand got shot, Germany, like utter bastards, invaded the world".

jegga

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="gollum" data-cid="443680" data-time="1407144616">
<div>
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.amazon.co.uk/World-War-One-Short-History-ebook/dp/B002RI9QDU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407144260&sr=8-1&keywords=short+history+world+war+1'>http://www.amazon.co.uk/World-War-One-Short-History-ebook/dp/B002RI9QDU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407144260&sr=8-1&keywords=short+history+world+war+1</a>
World War One: A Short History by Norman Stone
Does exactly what is says on the tin, 180 pages, very easy read, great overview of the whole thing. Really excellent book, you'll either go "thats just what I wanted to know, I'm done". Or it'll set you up to plough through the other 700 page slog fests about it.
 
The Sleepwalkers, by Christopher Clark, is great, and huge, but focuses on how the war came about, as opposed to the war itself. Really good read after only ever hearing "Franz Ferdinand got shot, Germany, like utter bastards, invaded the world". 
</div>
</blockquote>
 
 
Cheers for that, have you read any good books about Germany leading up to the war? From my limited understanding Germany were pretty late to the empire building party and were keen as fuck to show they were as powerful as France and Britain.
I read this at christmas <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.amazon.co.uk/Berlin-War-Hitlers-Capital-1939-45/dp/0099551896'>http://www.amazon.co.uk/Berlin-War-Hitlers-Capital-1939-45/dp/0099551896</a> it was a great read, some of it was very eye opening- towards the end of the war the nazis rounded up jews that had been to politically sensitive to catch earlier such as husbands of aryans world war one heroes etc. The wives of these guys surround the prison demanded their husbands be released , the guards would come out and shoot into the air and the women would run away and then come back eventually the nazis caved and released them. The story of the jewish hospital and graveyard is particularly odd too.

Stockcar86

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="jegga" data-cid="443652" data-time="1407139064">
<div>
Does anyone have any good books about world war one they'd recommend? My son gave me a great book about it a while ago and I'd be keen to read more, not necessarily just from a kiwi perspective -the book my boy gave me was pretty enlightening about the Canadians who seemed to always be sent into the worst places and if theres anything you'd recommend about them I'd be stoked.
</div>
</blockquote>
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.amazon.com/The-First-World-War-Complete/dp/0805076174'>http://www.amazon.com/The-First-World-War-Complete/dp/0805076174</a>

gollum

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="jegga" data-cid="443685" data-time="1407146038">
<div>
Cheers for that, have you read any good books about Germany leading up to the war? From my limited understanding Germany were pretty late to the empire building party and were keen as fuck to show they were as powerful as France and Britain.
I read this at christmas <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.amazon.co.uk/Berlin-War-Hitlers-Capital-1939-45/dp/0099551896'>http://www.amazon.co.uk/Berlin-War-Hitlers-Capital-1939-45/dp/0099551896</a> it was a great read, some of it was very eye opening- towards the end of the war the nazis rounded up jews that had been to politically sensitive to catch earlier such as husbands of aryans world war one heroes etc. The wives of these guys surround the prison demanded their husbands be released , the guards would come out and shoot into the air and the women would run away and then come back eventually the nazis caved and released them. The story of the jewish hospital and graveyard is particularly odd too.
</div>
</blockquote>
 
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.amazon.co.uk/Iron-Kingdom-Downfall-Prussia-1600-1947-ebook/dp/B002RI9PMM/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1407149952&sr=8-6&keywords=bismarck'>http://www.amazon.co.uk/Iron-Kingdom-Downfall-Prussia-1600-1947-ebook/dp/B002RI9PMM/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1407149952&sr=8-6&keywords=bismarck</a>
 
This is great, but is a much larger scope. IE its Prussia rising up, unifying Germany etc. It was a bit of a slog, I skipped pretty large chunks that just bored me shitless.

JC

Just read "He's Back!" by Timur Vermes. It's a satire about Hitler falling asleep at the end of WW2 like Rip Van Winkle and waking up in 2011. People think he's a weird impersonator as he rants Downfall-style on cable TV about dogshit etc which encourages him to go into local politics. Clever and actually funny. It manages to address how, if he was such a mad bastard and nobody was actually a Nazi in 30s Germany he managed to get so many people to vote for him and do the bad things he asked. The style's odd, though. Apparently the author was going after the all-over-the-shop style of Mein Kampf. Worth a go though.

jegga

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="JC" data-cid="443723" data-time="1407182273">Just read "He's Back!" by Timur Vermes. It's a satire about Hitler falling asleep at the end of WW2 like Rip Van Winkle and waking up in 2011. People think he's a weird impersonator as he rants Downfall-style on cable TV about dogshit etc which encourages him to go into local politics. Clever and actually funny. It manages to address how, if he was such a mad bastard and nobody was actually a Nazi in 30s Germany he managed to get so many people to vote for him and do the bad things he asked. The style's odd, though. Apparently the author was going after the all-over-the-shop style of Mein Kampf. Worth a go though.</blockquote>
 
That sounds good, you might want to check out HHhH it sounds like it's written along similarly odd lines. Probably the best book I've read this year.

Nepia

Has anyone on here read 'Fahrenheit 451'? I have a copy of the movie but have always wanted to read the book first so finally bought an ebook copy. I'm about 5 or 6 pages in. While I find the story to be completely intriguing I find the prose unbearable. It seems to be way over descriptive. 
 
TBH I'm not a fan of really descriptive writing (Louis de Bernieres is definitely not a favourite writer of mine) and I think once I discovered Hemingway and realised good writing can be short and sharp that these types of (classic) books were ruined for me.
 
So if anyone's read it do they really rate it? Enough to suggest I push on through?

jegga

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Nepia" data-cid="443930" data-time="1407304225">
<div>
Has anyone on here read 'Fahrenheit 451'? I have a copy of the movie but have always wanted to read the book first so finally bought an ebook copy. I'm about 5 or 6 pages in. While I find the story to be completely intriguing I find the prose unbearable. It seems to be way over descriptive. 
 
TBH I'm not a fan of really descriptive writing (Louis de Bernieres is definitely not a favourite writer of mine) and I think once I discovered Hemingway and realised good writing can be short and sharp that these types of (classic) books were ruined for me.
 
So if anyone's read it do they really rate it? Enough to suggest I push on through?
</div>
</blockquote>
 
Never read it but just finished citizen soldiers by Stephen Ambrose and he didn't hold back about Hemingway who was some sort of war correspondent in France. I had a bit of a chuckle about it because I tried a couple of times to read Ambroses book about Lewis and Clark and its pretty difficult for the same reasons he curses Hemingway. I gave up in the end , I've enjoyed his other books though even if Wild blue had a fair bit plagiarized from someone else.

dogmeat

Nepia. It's 40 yrs since I read it but fading recollection suggests it won't reward perseverance

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="jegga" data-cid="443933" data-time="1407305767">
<div>
Never read it but just finished citizen soldiers by Stephen Ambrose and he didn't hold back about Hemingway who was some sort of war correspondent in France. I had a bit of a chuckle about it because I tried a couple of times to read Ambroses book about Lewis and Clark and its pretty difficult for the same reasons he curses Hemingway. I gave up in the end , I've enjoyed his other books though even if Wild blue had a fair bit plagiarized from someone else.
</div>
</blockquote>
I've got Citizen Soldiers but read it years ago and can't remember what Ambrose said about Hemingway. I've never read Lewis and Clark but I enjoy Ambrose's military books. 
 
If I remember the Wild Blue controversy it was around him not putting quotations around other writers work but that he did footnote them and provide sources in the endnotes?
 
 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="dogmeat" data-cid="443960" data-time="1407341269">
<div>
Nepia. It's 40 yrs since I read it but fading recollection suggests it won't reward perseverance
</div>
</blockquote>
Hmmm, I might just watch the movie then.

jegga

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Nepia" data-cid="443997" data-time="1407367578">
<div>
I've got Citizen Soldiers but read it years ago and can't remember what Ambrose said about Hemingway. I've never read Lewis and Clark but I enjoy Ambrose's military books. 
 
If I remember the Wild Blue controversy it was around him not putting quotations around other writers work but that he did footnote them and provide sources in the endnotes?
 
 
.
</div>
</blockquote>
 
He quoted Hemingway waffling on about some member of the resistance he seemed to nothing but get drunk with and said theres a reason why people read Ernie Pyle 50 years on and don't read Hemingway. I think he meant Hemingways dispatches from the front line because people still read Hemingway. 
Thats what it says on wikipedia but it happened in other books too apparently. The Lewis and Clark book was a real disappointment, the band of brothers books were so good and the one about the british glider troops was a cracking read too.

jegga

Duty by Bob Greene,<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.amazon.com/Duty-Father-His-Son-Man/dp/0380814110'>http://www.amazon.com/Duty-Father-His-Son-Man/dp/0380814110</a>
Interesting idea for a book, the author after years of trying to meet Paul Tibbets who piloted Enola Gay and dropped the first atom bomb gets not only to interview him but also spend a fair bit of time with him. Along side that are transcripts of tapes his father recorded before he died about his past and time in the army in ww2, the author asks Tibbets his view of the tapes and his dad along with finding out about Tibbets and his past. Tibbets was a pretty interesting guy, met presidents and top generals and hand picked the team to drop the bomb. After the author published an article about Tibbets in the newspaper he worked for he got mail from people who wanted to thank him for ending the war because their dad/grandad was supposed to join the invasion of Japan and the bomb stopped that, oddly also from Japanese people because the govt refused to surrender and it would have destroyed Japan.
 
The billy bob tapes.<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.amazon.com/Billy-Bob-Tapes-Cave-Ghosts-ebook/dp/B0082B78CW/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408417356&sr=1-1&keywords=the+billy+bob+tapes'>http://www.amazon.com/Billy-Bob-Tapes-Cave-Ghosts-ebook/dp/B0082B78CW/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408417356&sr=1-1&keywords=the+billy+bob+tapes</a>
I got this on special and thought it might be interesting and possibly have some mention of what it was like to bonk Angelina Jolie before she resembled Gollums sister.
It was a pretty good read although I'm a bit puzzled about him saying his dad wasn't a very articulate guy when he was a college graduate and a school teacher. I always thought he was an actor trying to be a musician but its actually the other way around, he was a musician first and got very lucky with acting, he also writes and he was talking about this awesome script he and a friend wrote and it sounded a lot like one false move <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_false_move'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_false_move</a> which I really liked but didn't realize he wrote, later in the book they changed the title and he explains how it became successful.
Well worth a read, he really really hates twilight and doesn't hold out much hope for the US movie industry making quality films anymore. Reading the shit people say about him on the internet has made him agoraphobic and its interesting to hear his side of the story about the things the media has said about him over the years.
I pretty much finished it in a day, its worth pointing out the lack of any mention of any of Thornton/Jolie sub duvet exploits .

nostrildamus

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="JC" data-cid="443723" data-time="1407182273">
<div>
Just read "He's Back!" by Timur Vermes. It's a satire about Hitler falling asleep at the end of WW2 like Rip Van Winkle and waking up in 2011. People think he's a weird impersonator as he rants Downfall-style on cable TV about dogshit etc which encourages him to go into local politics. Clever and actually funny. It manages to address how, if he was such a mad bastard and nobody was actually a Nazi in 30s Germany he managed to get so many people to vote for him and do the bad things he asked. The style's odd, though. Apparently the author was going after the all-over-the-shop style of Mein Kampf. Worth a go though.
</div>
</blockquote>
Sounds a great idea! Now if it ever was made into a film do you think an ex-Austrian US politician and Hollywood action hero might be tempted to star?

gollum

For anyone Kindling from Amazon UK, Riche McCaw's autobiograhpy is in their september sale & can be had a pound.

JC

I've just finished The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell (the "Cloud Atlas" guy, not the angry comedian). It's very good indeed. It's told from the viewpoint of several people over the course of 60 or so years, 1984 to 2043. Basically narrative realism, but with a sci-fi fantasy plot going on in the background about a battle between 2 groups of essentially immortal people that's going on around us normals. The writing is good enough to have been Booker long listed but it missed the shortlist this week presumably on account of it being a bit bonkers. It has a great character in it who's some kind of really spiteful, self-entitled and horrible AA Gill / Martin Amis hybrid author, into whose mouth Mitchell puts some top-notch rants. Highly recommended.

red terror

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="dogmeat" data-cid="443960" data-time="1407341269">
<div>
Nepia. It's 40 yrs since I read it but fading recollection suggests it won't reward perseverance
</div>
</blockquote>
 
I read about 40 years too, and am reminded of that book nearly every day when I see somebody's wall-mounted large-screen TV. The book is much more about ideas than the strength of it's prose (and besides, it's a pretty small book). Truffaut is one of my very favorite film directors, but the film adaptation is a mess, although a fascinating mess. (Curiously enough, Bradbury did a damned good job adapting Moby-Dick for the screen.)

The Silver Fern

TSF Book Club