Mumble Report post Posted July 19, 2008 Wired-Up Wrong - but I didn't realise it's a horror/psychological thriller type book - one of those ones that gets into your mind and knows exactly what you're thinking/experiencing/feeling, so it's freaking me out a little, and I may have to put it safely under my bed with the monsters. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flora Report post Posted July 19, 2008 I've just started reading 'Persuasion. The art of influencing people' by Sir john Harvey-Jones. I'm utterly fascinated. So far as I can tell by what I've read (which is only the first chapter) it is a must read for any adult aspies wanting to understand the finer points of negotiating your way through the mire of verbal communication with absolutely anyone! It explains how you can get people to agree with you and give you what you want ,anything from getting the phone/remote control off your teenagers to winning an election... and everything in between. At the moment I'm reading about Aristotle's art of persuasion. I'll report further when I've finished it but so far it's got me rivetted. Flo' Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baddad Report post Posted July 20, 2008 At the moment I'm reading about Aristotle's art of persuasion. Flo' All i know about Aristotle (Aristotle) is he was a b****r for the bottle... etc etc I read 'how to win friends and influence people' but it didn't 'take'... Oh - currently reading Ben Elton's blind faith, which is absolute bottom dribble but i've started so I'll finish... Before that I read 'Gold' by Dan someone, which was very good but a bit gurly Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheNeil Report post Posted July 20, 2008 Wired-Up Wrong - but I didn't realise it's a horror/psychological thriller type book - one of those ones that gets into your mind and knows exactly what you're thinking/experiencing/feeling, so it's freaking me out a little, and I may have to put it safely under my bed with the monsters. It's probably for the best. I've heard that the author had serious psychological problems and ended up living in a dream world Currently reading Pies and Prejudice by Stuart Maconie. All about why northerners have baths of coal with them at all times and southerners don't know how to make beer or pies Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pearl Report post Posted July 20, 2008 Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir. Good meaty historical novel written by a historian so I don't shout at the inaccuracies, cos there arent many (or any apart from the made up novelly bits). And she plays with the rumours that surrounded the young Elizabeth at the time to create a "what if" scenario which puts a new twist on things. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oxgirl Report post Posted July 20, 2008 Oh - currently reading Ben Elton's blind faith, which is absolute bottom dribble but i've started so I'll finish... Aw, I really liked that, took a bit of getting into, I admit, but it gets very good towards the end. ~ Mel ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baddad Report post Posted July 20, 2008 Aw, I really liked that, took a bit of getting into, I admit, but it gets very good towards the end. ~ Mel ~ Nah, sorry... I've finished it now and it went exactly how i thought it would go. It's stupid, i've read most of Ben Elton's books and almost always feel the same way when i get to the end, but when I'm browsing the library and there aint much else about i'll usually pick up his latest on the basis that I'll actually finish it! For me, he's sort of the literary equivalent of a H******** restaurant - You know it will be nowt to write home about, but it'll fill a hole! Still, books is like moosic - we all have different tastes, and they are all perfectly valid (except for Chas and Dave, Hev!) Now I can start 'Turbulent Priests' by Colin Bateman - another "pub lunch" selection... I really must pre-order some books from the library instead of taking pot luck! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kathryn Report post Posted July 20, 2008 Someone gave me Ben Elton's novel set in WW1 - I forget the title but it's been mentioned on here somewhere. That was two Christmasses ago and I still haven't read it. K x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tally Report post Posted July 20, 2008 Me and oxgirl are gonna come and beat you up baddad, for dissing Ben Elton. I have read Blind Faith and Popcorn and I thought they were both really good, and on my To Be Read shelf I have Dead Famous, Stark, Inconceivable, This Other Eden and Gridlock. At the moment I am reading the first Lord of the Rings book. It's the 50th anniversary edition and I am still stuck on the preface about how Tolkein spent so long trying to correct mistakes made by the printers, and how each new edition introduced more mistakes and things. After Tolkein died, his son also spent a lot of time trying to get an accurate manuscript. My mum is friends with his granddaughter, and apparently she is a lot like a hobbit. That is completely irrelevant to the fact that I am reading the book, but there we go! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oxgirl Report post Posted July 20, 2008 (edited) Someone gave me Ben Elton's novel set in WW1 - I forget the title but it's been mentioned on here somewhere. That was two Christmasses ago and I still haven't read it. 'The First Casualty' it's called. ~ Mel ~ Edited July 20, 2008 by oxgirl Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oxgirl Report post Posted July 20, 2008 Me and oxgirl are gonna come and beat you up baddad, for dissing Ben Elton. I have read Blind Faith and Popcorn and I thought they were both really good, and on my To Be Read shelf I have Dead Famous, Stark, Inconceivable, This Other Eden and Gridlock. The only two Ben Eltons I haven't read are 'Stark' and 'Blast from the Past', looking out for them in charity shops at the mo. My fav. was 'Past Mortem' I think. <'> ~ Mel ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baddad Report post Posted July 20, 2008 'This Other Eden' it's called. ~ Mel ~ Wasn't this other eden the one about pollution - the first one? Biosphere's or something? Another 'pub lunch', but better than Blind Faith... the one about celebrity was the best of the bunch i thought - where the hero ran off with an irish girl and met his first non-surgically enhanced old people... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oxgirl Report post Posted July 20, 2008 Wasn't this other eden the one about pollution - the first one? Biosphere's or something? Ah yeah, yeah, sorry, 'The First Casualty' it was actually. the one about celebrity was the best of the bunch i thought - where the hero ran off with an irish girl and met his first non-surgically enhanced old people... Yeah, THAT one was 'This Other Eden'. I've read so many BE's in a row, they've all got muddled up in my head! ~ Mel ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tally Report post Posted July 20, 2008 (edited) The only two Ben Eltons I haven't read are 'Stark' and 'Blast from the Past', looking out for them in charity shops at the mo. My fav. was 'Past Mortem' I think. <'> ~ Mel ~ I could read Stark next and swap it with you for one I haven't got yet if you want. Drop me a PM if you're interested. Edited July 21, 2008 by Tally Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ScienceGeek Report post Posted July 22, 2008 At the moment mainly books on biology, chemistry, physics and maths. Some Robin Hobb for a little easier reading Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oxgirl Report post Posted July 23, 2008 I could read Stark next and swap it with you for one I haven't got yet if you want. Drop me a PM if you're interested. Thanks anyway, Tally, but I haven't got any to swap, they were either library books or I've just given them to charity shops when I've finished. <'> ~ Mel ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Frangipani Report post Posted July 23, 2008 Couldnt resist another Nora Roberts novel from her JD Robb series 'Creation in Death'. Nora Roberts is more prolific under her Robb pseudonym. Always find them hard to put down. She really gets you in. More late nights Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oxgirl Report post Posted August 1, 2008 Last week I finished 'The Last Days of the Lacuna Cabal' by Sean Dixon. It's like nothing I've ever read before, really unusual but very enjoyable. Now I'm reading 'Aloft' by Chang-rae Lee, okay, getting through it. Got my last two Ben Elton's lined up for next week! ~ Mel ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheNeil Report post Posted August 1, 2008 Finished Pies and Prejudice (load of [insert rude word here] - Stuart Maconie spent an entire chapter waffling on about Wigan and then devoted the same amount of space the entire North East). Now started Red Moon Rising by Matthew Brzezinski. Yet another account of how Russia and America entered the space race and yadda, yadda, yadda, blah, blah, blah. It'll probably take a while as the print is ultra-tiny Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pearl Report post Posted August 1, 2008 Doesnt he come from Wigan though? I'm sure that is a Wigan accent... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheNeil Report post Posted August 1, 2008 Doesnt he come from Wigan though? I'm sure that is a Wigan accent... Yes he does and I suppose I was maybe being a bit optimistic when I expected an account of the entire north (the write-up on the back certainly seemed to imply that - although I suppose that's what it was supposed to do). I understand why he might have had more to say about where he grew up and etc. but to cover Newcastle, Durham, North Yorkshire, Teesside and, God forbid, Hartlepool () in just one chapter seemed to be a bit misleading if this was, as the book back suggested, a complete explanation about what it means to be northern. Now if had said it was setting out to explain what it meant to be north-western then I could have understood it. Ho hum though, horses for courses and all that nonsense Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pearl Report post Posted August 1, 2008 Yup I'm inclined to agree Neil. The North is HUUUUGE with incredible regional variations. Do you get a cheaply made but fabby local prog called Grundys Northern Pride? JP & I love it, this guy goes all over the north with a theme each week like canals, walls etc. Quirky, esoteric knowledge that makes you go, hmmmm, never knew that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kathryn Report post Posted August 1, 2008 Finished Pies and Prejudice (load of [insert rude word here] - Stuart Maconie spent an entire chapter waffling on about Wigan and then devoted the same amount of space the entire North East). Oi -Some of us have our roots in the area. If the book takes in Bolton, I'll buy it for my dad. The North East - where is that? K x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheNeil Report post Posted August 2, 2008 Yup I'm inclined to agree Neil. The North is HUUUUGE with incredible regional variations. Do you get a cheaply made but fabby local prog called Grundys Northern Pride? JP & I love it, this guy goes all over the north with a theme each week like canals, walls etc. Quirky, esoteric knowledge that makes you go, hmmmm, never knew that. It rings bells but I don't think I've ever seen it. Given what Maconie had had to say about the north west I was expecting his account of the north east to be fantastic...and then it was kind of like 'So when one leaves Lancashire there's also a bit on the east coast. My thoughts then turned back to life in London...' John Grundy does sound a lot like my personal fave, The Colin Briggs (off of Look North) (a man who seems to have acquired a 'The', which puts him in the same category as TheNeil, The Queen, The Pope and The Tarby) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheNeil Report post Posted August 2, 2008 Oi -Some of us have our roots in the area. If the book takes in Bolton, I'll buy it for my dad. Wigan gets a big write up, as does Manchester but I don't think I remember anything about Bolton. You can have my copy for free as there's no chance I'll be reading it again. The North East - where is that? Head north out of London and turn right. Or, for those of a Scottish persuasion, head south and turn left Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mumble Report post Posted August 2, 2008 The North East - where is that? I think it's the bit between The South and Scotland. It's uninhabited now (expect for a strange man rumoured to be hiding out on the bog-land) as it's former residents either sank without trace or went off in search of better things (running water, electricity, baths, heating). I wouldn't worry, you're unlikely to ever come across it because an invisible yet impenetrable wall is erected all around it to protect and Southerns/Scottish people who may get lost at the edges of their territory. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheNeil Report post Posted August 2, 2008 I wouldn't worry, you're unlikely to ever come across it because an invisible yet impenetrable wall is erected all around it to protect and Southerns/Scottish people who may get lost at the edges of their territory. That's the story that they tell you southern types. The truth is really that the invisible wall is to keep southern types out lest you try to cover the rolling countryside in gold, get confused once you're outside of London 'tahhhhhhnnnnnnnnnnnn', find that houses can be bigger than a cupboard and etc. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Diane Report post Posted August 5, 2008 Just finished 'The Gap Year for Grownups' Annie and Sanders - Loved it. My husband bought it for me, I had not come across authors Annie and Sanders before. I believe this was there fifth novel. The blurb on the front says 'Ever wanted to take a holiday from your life?' 'It was insightful, poignant, uplifting and funny' exactly as quoted by My weekly. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mumble Report post Posted August 5, 2008 The Headless Horseman of Mull - along with a guide to the pronunciation of Gaelic/Norse place names Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ScienceGeek Report post Posted August 5, 2008 The complete guide to Asperger's syndrome by Tony Attwood Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mumble Report post Posted August 5, 2008 The complete guide to Asperger's syndrome by Tony Attwood zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz I think I may be the only person who doesn't like that book. To be honest I find it rather reproducing of the stereotypes we try so hard to get away from. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pearl Report post Posted August 5, 2008 The Language of Others by Clare Morrell. A novel with an Aspie theme. I liked it with reservations & only shouted at the book once. Would be interested to know what others think. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tally Report post Posted August 5, 2008 (edited) zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz I think I may be the only person who doesn't like that book. To be honest I find it rather reproducing of the stereotypes we try so hard to get away from. Last year at Autscape, my mum was reading it, and a number of people told her they didn't like it, so you are not the only one. I like it though. I actually thought completely the opposite, that it explained the diverse ways in which AS can present. I am reading A Beautiful Mind about mathematician John Nash. After a remarkable academic career in the 1950s, he developed schizophrenia and never really recovered. He sounds very aspie too though. Edited August 5, 2008 by Tally Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oxgirl Report post Posted August 17, 2008 Finished 'Blast from the Past' and am nearly finished 'Stark', both by Ben Elton. After this I have NO MORE BEN ELTON'S LEFT!! ~ Mel ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ScienceGeek Report post Posted August 17, 2008 A Level Biology books, can't wait to get this over and done with now. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Imposter Report post Posted August 17, 2008 I've just finished reading The Phone Book. To be honest it was a bit long-winded, there are too many characters, and for some reason all these Polish people turn up at the end! Seriously though I have just finished re-reading "American Scream" - the biography of Bill Hicks, for about the fifth time. I've just started reading "The Da-Da-De-Da-Da Code" by Robert Rankin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheNeil Report post Posted August 18, 2008 My nerdiness knows no bounds and after finished Red Moon Rising (the verdict? Not if you're more interested in the less technical aspects of the space race and have no interest in page after page of dull and boring statistics and figures) I've gone back to re-read Electronic Brains by Mike Hally. Tales from the dawn of the computer age Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tally Report post Posted August 18, 2008 I've just read Russel Brand's My Booky Wook. It was rubbish, completely self-indulgent, with no sense of guilt for the way he behaves. If you like reading, "I did this really outrageous thing, and then took some heroin," then maybe you would enjoy it. Eventually he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but decided not to accept treatment for it. I don't know how reliable that diagnosis can be anyway, because it was made around the time he was coming off drugs and was used to explain away all the outrageous stuff, which may well have more to do with the drugs and lack of understanding of consequences, than a manic episode. It was some light entertainment anyway. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tally Report post Posted August 29, 2008 (edited) I've just read Vicky Halls' Cat Counsellor. Lots of stuff about cats and their behaviour, and humans' relationship with their cats, with some very interesting case studies. I'm not sure I really learned anything new, but I feel reassured that I am doing the right thing with my cat, and it has given me the confidence to step up the discipline regime. Now I am reading Tolstoy's War and Peace. I'll see you in a month or so! Edited August 29, 2008 by Tally Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chris54 Report post Posted August 29, 2008 Who has time to read books? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites