Bookworms of BCF - reccomended reads?

[c_dug]

Slightly geeky topic on my behalf but so what! Probably destined to FAIL on a bike forum but we shall see.

Ive run out of books to read and im on the hunt for something worth buying, Name a book you like and a rough plot and some other random crap about it. I realise we'll all have slightly different tastes but a good book is a good book none-the-less.

I'll start.

Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts. Its a book based on a true events in the writers life, about an austrailian high security prisoner who manages to escape and smuggle himself onto a plane to bombay (mumbai, india). Once in India he befriends a local and learns the local languages, lives in a slum where he is quickly accepted due to his medical skills, the book follows the his life over the next few years, Amongst other things he falls in love, become involved in serious crime and forgery, get thrown into one of the worst priosons in India where he come within inches of death, overcome a serious heroin addiction all before finding himself fighting a war in the mountains of pakistan (i think its pakistan at least).

Ive missed out so much but if i explained it all it wouldnt be worth you reading it, ive read it at least twice now and im definetly going to read it again so that must say something.

so... add to the list.

c_dug

edit: Id suggest not watching these video's if you plan to read the book since its a bit of a spoiler however for those less bookwormish this is Gregory David Roberts explaining his life, its 20 odd minutes worth, but well worth it IMO.

part 1
part 2
part 3
part 4
part 5
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[Annabella]

Water Music, T.Coraghessan Boyle
Set in the 18th Century, it follows the adventures of two very different men who meet, by chance, in Africa; Mungo Park is searching for the source of the Niger (he has a cool name and is intellectual) and Ned Rise (alcoholic sex-addict with a perchante for gin who somehow survived being hung for murder).
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[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

1984 by George Orwell

Written by Orwell in the year 1948 about what he thought life would be like in 1984. Scarily aspects are coming true now. The film's got nothing on the book. A great read.
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[yen_powell]

Excession
Ian M Banks
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[JAMSXR]

The Outsiders

'The themes of the book, such as friendship, and coming of age, are portrayed by following two rival groups, the Greasers and the Socs (pronounced "soashes" by the author, short for Socials), who are separated by status.'
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[0ddball]

[Tarmacsurfer]

If you like that genre then I recommend The Gift of Rain by Tan Twang Eng.
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I'm immortal. Well, so far.

[Courageous T]

anything by bill bryson.

[c_dug]

Short history of nearly everything was an amazing book

c_dug
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[YUN]

Twilight Stephenie Meyer.
I'm into Vampires and at first was a bit disappointed by the slow buildup......middle of the book and i'm hooked.

Vampires - turn romance novel. I think its more of a girly book. Am waiting to watch the film
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~ * CBT - 13/01/08 --> Theory 24/05/08 --> Squished by lorries, brand new CBR125(2000miles) write-off 04/06/06 --> DAS booked 02-04/08/08 * --> DAS passed 05/08/08 * --> VFR400 (aka 'Mike') ~

[D O G]

The Flashman series by George MacDonald Fraser.

Follows the adventures of an incredibly lucky, caddish, cowardly army officer in the 19th century.

Places 'ol Flashy in numerous, historically accurate, events (like the Charge of the Light Brigade, Custer's last stand) etc, with a lot of bawdy behaviour, action and humour. Excellently, and cleverly written, great stories, top drawer.

There is about 15 of them now, I think, I have read 12, I need to get another one.

[Itchy]

Just finished:

Lois on the Loose

and Also Red tape and White knuckles,

Both by Lois Pryce, they were ok , nothing ground breaking.

I've got Stranger in a Strangeland and The moon is a harsh mistress as well as Searching for Will Carling half read (land rover trip across Africa) except in the last bit it goes well off on a tangent in that he leaves the landrover and just appears to be dossing about with his wealthy friends in Africa. At which I left the book in Hong Kong.
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[Tarmacsurfer]

"The moon is a harsh mistress" is good, I'd recommend reading "The man who sold the moon" first though. "Stranger in a strange land" is also top drawer but his best book -I think anyway- is "Time enough for love".
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[Itchy]

[yen_powell]

[Charlie]

• The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks:- Most twisted book I have read to date
  
• The Beach by Alex Garland:- The film The Beach is based on it
  
• Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk:- Fight Club the film was based on this, the book is a lot better even though Fight Club is my favorite film
  
• Black magician trilogy by Trudi Canavan:- Fantasy world with magicians, follow the story of a slum girl with her dealings with them (don't want to say too much to give it away)
  
• Jack Reacher series by Lee Child:- Ex-milteray police hero who has left the army, have all of the series (I think, need to check for latest one, although last few have been a bit of a let down)
  

All very good books!
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[Azonicben]

Dean koontz- velocity

The new fast-moving thriller from Dean Koontz is the story of an innocent man forced by a serial killer to choose who will be murdered next. William Wiles is an easygoing thirty-something, a bartender who lives a quiet life alone until a serial killer singles him out - not to kill him, but to force him to decide who the next victim will be. On his SUV Billy finds the first note: 'If you don't take this note to the police and get them involved, I will kill a lovely blonde schoolteacher. If you do take this note to the police, I will instead kill an elderly woman active in charity work. You have four hours to decide. The choice is yours.' Billy pays an informal visit to an acquaintance, Lanny Olson, who is a policeman, and who thinks the note is a prank. The schoolteacher dies. The next note reverses the choices: if Billy takes the note to the police, a mother of two young children will die. If he doesn't, an unmarried man who won't be much missed will die. Lanny has to take this note seriously but the deadline runs out before he can decide how to make his involvement official. Billy doesn't hear from him again because Lanny himself, unmarried, who will not be much missed, has become the next victim. There will be more communications from the killer, more hideous choices, with ever tighter decision times, and with each choice Billy is drawn deeper into an accelerating nightmare, which steadily becomes more personal, more confrontational, until he is isolated, with no one to turn to and no one to rely on but himself. Finally he must risk everything to save the intended victims .


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Velocity-Dean-Koontz/dp/0007196970/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234967390&sr=1-1

Luke rhinhart- Diceman

The Dice Man is a semi-comedic novel published in 1971 by George Cockcroft under the pen name Luke Rhinehart and tells the story of a psychiatrist who begins making life decisions based on the casting of dice. The novel is noted for its subversivity, anti-psychiatry sentiments and for reflecting moods of the early 1970s. Due to its subversive nature and chapters concerned with controversial issues such as rape, murder and sexual experimentation, it was banned in several countries.[1] Upon its initial publication, the cover bore the confident subheader, "This book can change your life" and quickly became a modern cult classic

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dice-Man-Luke-Rhinehart/dp/0006513905/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234967503&sr=1-1
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Current bike- GsxR750 K4. Broken: Cbr400rr (Nc29) Sold: Hyosung GT125R

[McJamweasel]

George R R Martin - A Game of Thrones. Book 1 of the A Song Of Ice & Fire series. "First volume of a brilliant new fantasy trilogy: the most powerful, original and absorbing new epic since Stephen Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. The first volume of George R R Martin's glorious high fantasy tells the tragic story of treachery, greed and war that threatens the unity of the Seven Kingdoms south of the Wall. Martin unfolds with astonishing skill a tale of truly epic dimensions, thronged with memorable characters, a story of treachery and ambition, love and magic. Set in a fabulous world scarred by battle and catastrophe over 8000 years of recorded history, it tells of the deeds of men and women locked in the deadliest of conflicts and the terrible legacy they will leave their children. In the game of thrones, you win or you die. And in the bitter-cold, unliving lands beyond the Wall, a terrible winter gathers and the others -- the undead, the neverborn, wildlings to whom the threat of the sword is nothing -- make ready to descend on the realms of men. A Game of Thrones begins the most imaginative, ambitious and compelling fantasy epic since The Lord of the Rings.

Thronged with memorable characters, it unfolds with astonishing skill a tale of truly epic dimensions. There have been many pretenders to the throne of Tolkien: now at last he has a true heir."

The scale of this series is immense, LOTR really does pale in comparison. Be warned through, it's not a trilogy (as stated above) but a series of 7. And he's not finished yet. Book 5 is currently about 2 years late, and he's getting old...

Also, I just read Tom Clancy's Debt of Honour. Near on 1000 pages and I was properly hooked straight away. A great read. "Razio Yamata is one of Japan's most influential industrialists, and part of a relatively small cabal who exert tremendous authority in the Pacific Rim's economic powerhouse. He has devised a plan to cripple America's pre-eminent standing, humble the U.S. military and elevate Japan to a position of dominance on the world stage. Yamata's motivation lies in his desire to pay off a Debt of Honour to his parents and to the country he feels is responsible for their deaths: America. All he needs is a catalyst to set his plan in motion. When the faulty gas tank on one Tennessee family's car leads to their fiery death, an opportunistic U.S. congressman uses the occasion to rush a new trade law through the system. The law is designed to squeeze Japan economically. Instead, it provides Yamata with the leverage he needs to put his plan into action. As Yamata's plan begins to unfold, it becomes clear to the world that someone is launching a fully integrated operation against the United States. There's only one man to find out who the culprit is: Jack Ryan, the new president's National Security Advisor."
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BCF: Be yourself, just don't be an arse.

[The Shaggy D.A.]

Here's a few I like...

Wilbur Smith, River God
Ancient Egypt is the land of the Pharaohs, a kingdom built on gold as well as a legend shattered by greed. Now, the Valley of the Kings lies ravaged by war, drained of its lifeblood as weak men inherit the cherished crown. In the city of Thebes at the Festival of Osiris, loyal subjects of the Pharaoh gather to pay homage to their leader. But Taita - a wise and formidably gifted eunuch slave, sees him only as a symbol of a kingdom's fading glory. Beside Taita stand his proteges, Lostris, daughter of Lord Intef, beautiful beyond her fourteen years; and Tanus, proud, young army officer, who has vowed to avenge the death - at Intef's hand - of his father, and seize Lostris as his prize. Together they share a dream - to restore the majesty of the Pharaoh of Pharaohs on the glittering banks of the Nile.

Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
There is a hint of Armageddon in the air. According to the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (recorded, thankfully, in 1655, before she blew up her entire village and all its inhabitants, who had gathered to watch her burn), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. So the Armies of Good and Evil are massing, the four Bikers of the Apocalypse are revving up their mighty hogs and hitting the road, and the world's last two remaining witchfinders are getting ready to Fight the Good Fight. Atlantis is rising. Frogs are falling. Tempers are flaring, and everything appears to be going to Divine Plan. Except that a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon are not particularly looking forward to the coming Rapture. They've lived amongst Humanity for millennia, and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle. So if Crowley and Aziraphale are going to stop it from happening, they've got to find and kill the AntiChrist (which is a shame, really, as he's a nice kid). There's just one glitch: someone seems to have misplaced him.

Cormac McCarthy, The Road
The book is set in a post-apocalyptic future. Though it's never stated what exactly happened, the subtext suggests a nuclear winter following a war. The earth is burnt, all vegetation is dead and it rains and snows ash. The plot follows the journey of a man and his son towards the south in order to find somewhere they can do more than just survive. But as all food has now been plundered - this being several years since the disaster - they are always on the edge of starvation. They must travel without being seen, as most of humanity that is left has long since resorted to cannibalism to survive.
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[GodzGift]

The last book I read was called: Killing Pablo by Mark Bowden

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_Pablo

Great book! - soon to be turned into a Film
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Bike Level: Amateur | CBT Passed

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

The Green King by Paul-Loop Sulitzer

This book is about a man who is stripped of his identity and possessions, and reborn. He then manages to be the richest man on earth, through a very unconventional path

Pat
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[Charlie]

I forgot the Bourne series by Robert Ludlum

Different to the film and in a much better way. Love it!
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[Luke_Retrofly]

Sniper One by Dan Mills - the only book that has given me an Adrenalin rush.

[Mrs Kickstart]

Hi
The Amtrak Wars by Patrick Tilley.
The series are post-apocalyptic science fiction with some fantasy elements such as the existence of magic. The series is set at the end of the 3rd millennium and follows Steve Brickman as he discovers the truth about the corrupt Amtrak Federation, an underground nation based in Texas and the surrounding states descended from the survivors from a military bunker. The nation is a despotic regime ran solely by the inbred First Family; few who are not in the First Family live beyond their thirties due to 'high radiation levels' which were actually created by the Family as a means of controlling the Trackers, as citizens of the Amtrak Federation are called. Access to technology and information is carefully controlled by the Family. The Federation is waging a war against the Mutes — mutant tribes descended from survivors of the apocalypse. Steve Brickman has an unconscious telepathic connection (and possibly incestuous relationship) with his "kin-sister" Roz.

Super Cannes by J G Ballard
In the hills above Cannes, a European elite has gathered in the business-park Eden-Olympia, a closed society that offers its privileged residents luxury homes, private doctors, private security forces, their own psychiatrists, and other conveniences required by the modern businessman. The book's protagonist, Paul, quits his job as an editor and moves to Eden-Olympia with his wife Jane when she is offered a job there as a pediatrician. At first glance, Eden-Olympia seems the ideal workers' paradise, but beneath its glittering, glass-wall surface, all is not well. For if things are running smoothly, then why are all the residents — these well-established businessmen, doctors, architects, and producers — all suffering heavily from stress and insomnia? And why did Jane's predecessor, the well-liked and apparently quite sane David Greenwood, go to work one day with an assault rifle strapped over his shoulders, murdering several of his friends and co-workers, before he put the rifle to his own head?

Restoree by Anne McCaffrey
It is the story of Sara, an introverted, beak-nosed, 24-year-old virgin librarian from New York who is abducted by the Mil, amorphous alien creatures that eat human flesh. She is kept alive, with her skin removed and in a catatonic state from the physical and mental shock, on a meat hook as a Mil meal until the alien ship she is on is captured by inhabitants of the planet Lothar, who look surprisingly like humans. Without her skin, some Lotharians mistake her for one of their own and perform controversial restoration procedures on her, as well as giving her a free nose job.
The Door to December - Dean Koontz
Melanie was three when she was kidnapped. She was found when she was nine, wandering the streets of Los Angeles. Melanie bears a secret, but she cannot bring herself to reveal it. Her mother and the police need her help in order to stop a series of killings. But what made her stop talking? And in her sleep, what is she whispering about? What is the Door to December?

Odd Thomas - Dean Koontz
Odd Thomas is silently approached by the ghost of a young girl brutally raped and murdered, and through his unique ability to understand the dead, is psychically led to her killer, a former schoolmate named Harlo Landerson. After Odd finds him and confronts him about his undiscovered crime, the man flees. Eventually, Odd and the police apprehend the murderer and take him into custody.

Disturbed by these events, Odd nonetheless decides to go to work to the nearby restaurant, where he is a short-order cook. While cooking, he sees a suspicious looking man followed by bodachs, shadowy spirit creatures who appear only during times of death and disaster. This man, who Odd nicknames "Fungus Man" (due to his wan complexion and short, fuzzy blonde hair), has an unusually large swarm of bodachs following him, and Odd is convinced that this man is connected to some terrible catastrophe that is about to occur. In order to gather more information about him, Odd uses his gift of supernatural intuition, which his soulmate Bronwyn (a.k.a. Stormy) Llywellyn calls "psychic magnetism," to track him down.


Regards
C
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[Handsome]

Normally got my head in a book tbh...

Anything by Dean Koontz or Richard Laymon, Dave Courtney ( Piss myself everytime I read his books ), Lenny Mcleans book ' The Guvnor ' is a good read, plus the few after done by the bloke who helped him on the book and the other one from people who knew him, I also read anything on Egyptology...
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