Thread: Books worth Reading

Other than finally starting The Wheel of Time since there's actually now an end in sight, something less fiction-like is The Pyjama Game.

Is about Judo and its history but is a good general read as it covers history and an old fart's start into the martial art while taking a light hearted tone.

Also because I'm fucking lazy.

'Excellent...a classic in its genre' Robert Twigger, Sunday Times 'One of the year's most entertaining sports books, and the best one to be written about a martial art since Robert Twigger's Angry White Pyjamas. It's lively, it's witty and, above all, so persuasively enthusiastic that by the end you'll find yourself feeling an intense urge to try it for yourself' James Delingpole, Mail on Sunday 'This is damn fine stuff, and will entertain and enlighten an audience far beyond the confines of the dojo' Andrew Baker, Daily Telegraph Mark Law's book is the first literary sports book on the most popular of the martial arts. Law took up judo at 50; he follows the history of the sport back to its Samurai beginnings, profiles the legends of judo from the Japanese Kimura to the giant Dutchman Geesink, and at his London club even finds himself battling Brian Jacks, the former BBC Superstars champion. Superbly well written, intellectually rigorous and brilliantly witty, this is a magisterial exploration of a sport practised by thousands in Britain, but still one of the most enigmatic of pastimes. Mark Law is Editor of the online magazine The First Post (www.thefistpost.co.uk). He has been a member of a judo club for some years. He lives in London.

Originally Posted by Aegis

okay this thread needs locking - Matthew Reilly is a travesty unto literature and all his 'works' (can't seriously call that rectal sputum work) should be individually burnt at the stake. It's like reading the playtime ramblings of a bunch of children in a school yard - "wouldnt it be cool if he swung a lamborghini on top of a wall and balanced it there while it slid past an exploding truck!!!!!!" - with all the attention to continuity, character development, and even rudimentary physics you would expect from said ramblings.

edit: sorry, I'm still really cut over the $5 I utterly wasted on one of his books.

Sounds like your general internet forum as well actually, you know, the kinda thing you don't take seriously

Booko: Compare book & DVD prices in Australia with Booko

it's staticice for books, includes major overseas sources.

Peter F Hamilton - Evolutionary Void is due out in about 63 days for the british published paperback edition.

Third book of the Void series, I know theres a few people on GU who would be interested.

I messed up and pre-ordered from the uk book depository, found out the US book depository is offering 50% off, so only about $11

http://www.bookdepository.com/book/9...lutionary-Void

and they have a 10% off voucher system out at the moment.

http://www.bookdepository.com/love.

Originally Posted by Aegis

allow me harb: awesome fucking awesomeness. there was talk of the dark tower becoming a tv show awhile back - shame it didnt pan out :/

Did you actually read the books? If I hadn't bought all seven in one go I never would have read them.

Book one was not comfortable to read, it just didn't flow. Book two and three were starting to get good, but then book four was flat out boring, it took me three months to finally get through it. The only thing that motivated me to finish was the upcoming Peter F. Hamilton.

Books 5, 6 and 7 were actually quite gripping, but the ending was RUBBISH.

Overall it felt exactly like you'd expect from a story written over a period of 22 years, started by a unexperienced teenage writer. I found it quite clumsy and required a lot of license from me the reader because the story really didn't feel properly fleshed out at any time.

So while I don't really regret reading it, if I could tell my past self not to bother, I would. If only to save $100 on books I really doubt I'll read again.

Jim Butcher - Codex Alera

From the same author as the Dresden Files, this is a medieval fantasy setting series, six books in all. Story revolves around a boy without magic growing up in a place where everyone has it. Book had good characters, fairly good humour about it, and a decent plot even.

Now I just need to finish the latest Dresden novel, then kill time waiting for evolutionary void

+1 for David Gemmell
Another excellent fantasy series is Steven Erikson's Malazan Empire books.