The GOT Book Club

[atrottel]

Just finished the second of Jeff VanderMeer's books in the Southern Reach series: Authority. It follows on from Annihilation (which was made into a film directed by Alex Garland).

For those who haven't come across the book or film before, Southern Reach is a government agency which manages expeditions into Area X, a swampy area on the coast which has been blocked off by the military. The first book dealt with the events of an expedition into Area X (he said, without spoilers).

The second deals with the agency and the main character is a government 'fixer' sent in to sort out the underfunded and understaffed government body and was just as good as the first. Although 'office politics in the face of potential ecological catastrophe' doesn't sound too attractive, VanderMeer does a great job of slowly increasing the tension and strangeness.

Difficult to describe either book in a niche: eco-horror, maybe? VanderMeer is classed as an author in the New Weird, so if you like China Miéville, or even Pan's Labyrinth, you might want to try this.

Two more books in the series: Acceptance and Absolution.

 

[LostLegend]

Happy Christmas mate

Just found out it's rumored Denis Villeneuve is turning this into a movie - I'm sure that won't be just as horrifying in the slightest

 

[COYBL25]

Brothers in Arms - James Holland.

Narrates the journey of the Sherwood Rangers tank regiment, from the D Day Landings, to their battles across France, Belgium and Germany.

The level of detail is astounding and Holland to me is second only to Antony Beevor with his writing of historical modern war books.

Excellent.

 

[Bilko]

Steve Cavanagh, the liar.
One of his "Eddie Flynn" characters, quite good legal thriller had to concentrate as there were a few characters knocking around.
Worth a punt and I will give another one of the series a go.
I see Mick Herron has published another Slow horses book, just ordered.

 

[Walken]

Quite partial to Salman Rushdie novels. Does depend on what you like though.

Not staying awake clearly, you've more staying power than me

 

[Eggs]

….read this magnificent account of Shackleton’s Antarctic Exhibition on holiday, felt a bit of a fraud taking my 3yo grandson out on a pedalo yesterday;

 

[LostLegend]

Just finished a couple:

The Crossing, Cormac McCarthy (Border Trilogy #2)

Somewhat disappointed with this by his standards. The first 150 or so pages are fantastic, I was really getting into the 'One boy and his Wolf fren" storyline; then it's like he got bored of that and decided to write another version of 'All the Pretty Horses'
The story really begins to meander from there and seems to stall every time it threatens to get going again. And the amount of monologues (half of which are in Spanish) really began to grate after a while.

That said, the writing is fantastic. McCarthy's ability to evoke a place or setting is rarely matched and the characters are great. In particular the 2 main characters, brothers Billy and Boyd Parnham.
It did enjoy it over all, but probably my least favorite of his work I've read so far.

I also read:

Educated (A Memoir), by Tara Westover

This was a fantastic read, probably one of my favorites this year so far.
It's the authors memoir of her time growing up in rural Idaho, in a strict, ultra conservative, Mormon household.
Her father is a somewhat deranged doomsday prepper who would stockpile guns and food in preparation for the end times.
He believed that all forms of government were part of the illuminati (which is ran by Satan himself) so her and most of her siblings were not registered when they were born, never went to state school and going to the doctors or hospital was completely out of the question.

Her mother was an unlicensed midwife, who'd help deliver babies for other mormon women who were equally skeptical of the government and would make home made homeopathic "medicines" and healing oils and the like in lieu of actual medical treatment.

Eventually, Tara defies her parents and goes to college to seek out an education and thus realises how removed from the rest of the world she has been.
There's a part where, in an art history class, when looking at a painting by a Jewish artist of one of the Nazi concentration camps, she has to ask the professor, in the middle of the class room what "The Holocaust" means.

This was a real eye opener - big recommend from me!

 

[COYBL25]

Just finished a couple:

The Crossing, Cormac McCarthy (Border Trilogy #2)

Somewhat disappointed with this by his standards. The first 150 or so pages are fantastic, I was really getting into the 'One boy and his Wolf fren" storyline; then it's like he got bored of that and decided to write another version of 'All the Pretty Horses'
The story really begins to meander from there and seems to stall every time it threatens to get going again. And the amount of monologues (half of which are in Spanish) really began to grate after a while.

That said, the writing is fantastic. McCarthy's ability to evoke a place or setting is rarely matched and the characters are great. In particular the 2 main characters, brothers Billy and Boyd Parnham.
It did enjoy it over all, but probably my least favorite of his work I've read so far.

I also read:

Educated (A Memoir), by Tara Westover

This was a fantastic read, probably one of my favorites this year so far.
It's the authors memoir of her time growing up in rural Idaho, in a strict, ultra conservative, Mormon household.
Her father is a somewhat deranged doomsday prepper who would stockpile guns and food in preparation for the end times.
He believed that all forms of government were part of the illuminati (which is ran by Satan himself) so her and most of her siblings were not registered when they were born, never went to state school and going to the doctors or hospital was completely out of the question.

Her mother was an unlicensed midwife, who'd help deliver babies for other mormon women who were equally skeptical of the government and would make home made homeopathic "medicines" and healing oils and the like in lieu of actual medical treatment.

Eventually, Tara defies her parents and goes to college to seek out an education and thus realises how removed from the rest of the world she has been.
There's a part where, in an art history class, when looking at a painting by a Jewish artist of one of the Nazi concentration camps, she has to ask the professor, in the middle of the class room what "The Holocaust" means.

This was a real eye opener - big recommend from me!

The problem is that All the Pretty Horses is such an incredible piece of writing, how do you follow it ?

 

[LostLegend]

The problem is that All the Pretty Horses is such an incredible piece of writing, how do you follow it ?

Yeah, that's easily my fav McCarthy so far.
The Wolf storyline was getting there though, then the way it abruptly ends and the story heads in a completely different direction is what got me. As I said, it's like he got bored and decided to write something else.

 

[summerisle]

I read an article today which mentioned an opinion poll where a nationwide survey has discovered that more than half of British people lie about what they watch on television. A conclusive 54% owned up to “exaggerating, fabricating or downplaying” their TV truth, pretending to be into documentaries, crime thrillers and historical biopics to sound “smarter”, “cooler” or “more in the know”. I wonder if it's the same with books ?

 

[LostLegend]

I read an article today which mentioned an opinion poll where a nationwide survey has discovered that more than half of British people lie about what they watch on television. A conclusive 54% owned up to “exaggerating, fabricating or downplaying” their TV truth, pretending to be into documentaries, crime thrillers and historical biopics to sound “smarter”, “cooler” or “more in the know”. I wonder if it's the same with books ?

Oh for sure. Especially when it comes to classic literature.

I can see how, if you have a circle of intelligent friends, you could fall into the trap of trying to appear more well read than you actually are.

I've had a copy of Dostoevsky's 'The Brothers Karamazov' sat on my shelf for a couple of years now and haven't worked up the motivation to read it yet as last time I read a book with that much baggage was Thomas Pynchon's 'Gravitys Rainbow' and I tapped out after 200 pages.

Most of my friends are Neanderthals though, so I have no such worry about them judging me for it

 

[Rita_Poon]

I read an article today which mentioned an opinion poll where a nationwide survey has discovered that more than half of British people lie about what they watch on television. A conclusive 54% owned up to “exaggerating, fabricating or downplaying” their TV truth, pretending to be into documentaries, crime thrillers and historical biopics to sound “smarter”, “cooler” or “more in the know”. I wonder if it's the same with books ?

Well isn't this interesting, watching 'the firm' documentary on bbc 2 last week (was it bbc 2?) they referenced a book, 'Among the Thugs' by Bill Buford. So because of the tv suggestion, that'll be on the menu next. I don't read half as much as I used to. So far as lies go, I'm probably the same as I ever was.

 

[summerisle]

Well isn't this interesting, watching 'the firm' documentary on bbc 2 last week (was it bbc 2?) they referenced a book, 'Among the Thugs' by Bill Buford. So because of the tv suggestion, that'll be on the menu next. I don't read half as much as I used to. So far as lies go, I'm probably the same as I ever was.

It'll be the same for music. Always suspicious when somebody says they like jazz or some obscure blues.

 

[Rita_Poon]

It'll be the same for music. Always suspicious when somebody says they like jazz or some obscure blues.

Strange one this, if you're in the circles that frequent such oddities, it seems like more effort pandering to the specialist crowd than to actually give it a go for real. Music like literature is so vast, that its a crime against your own taste to pretend to invest time elsewhere. Own it and like what you like. As Evertonians we can reach this tipping point?

 

[scratchnsurf]

It'll be the same for music. Always suspicious when somebody says they like jazz or some obscure blues.