Donny B. wrote:
Have started 'Gomorrah' by Robert Saviano.
a depressing book, assuming that what he writes is not exaggerated
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Donny B. wrote:
Have started 'Gomorrah' by Robert Saviano.
Read this a while back, and while it was an enjoyable read it revealed so many of these guys as complete lunatics with extraordinary tunnel vision. Why can't they employ that focus for something useful! The descriptions of years of expedition litter left lying all over the mountain also suggested a keen lack of awareness among climbers of any environmental damage their activity causes.ceemec wrote:Finished Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, an account of the infamous 1996 Everest disaster by one of the climbers that was on the mountain that day. A decent read. The sheer tragedy of the story makes the final 100 pages fairly compelling reading. Gives an insight into how mad these guys are and how far beyond normal physical limits some of them can push their bodies. Also shows that sometimes it doesn't matter how strong or capable you are; your number might just be up and that's that.
Indeed. The bloody mindedness of some people going for the summit is insane. As Rob Hall says during the book, it's more impressive in the climbing community to get within a couple of hundred feet of the summit and turn around than reach the summit as it shows superb discipline and clarity of thought to acknowledge you may reach the summit but may not make it back down. Unfortunately, he couldn't heed his own wisdom. I saw a documentary that featured the much maligned South African expedition on the mountain and they epitomised this. Cared for nothing except their own welfare and summit bid to the extent they refused to let other teams use their radio battery during the rescue efforts.Hippo wrote:Read this a while back, and while it was an enjoyable read it revealed so many of these guys as complete lunatics with extraordinary tunnel vision. Why can't they employ that focus for something useful! The descriptions of years of expedition litter left lying all over the mountain also suggested a keen lack of awareness among climbers of any environmental damage their activity causes.ceemec wrote:Finished Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, an account of the infamous 1996 Everest disaster by one of the climbers that was on the mountain that day. A decent read. The sheer tragedy of the story makes the final 100 pages fairly compelling reading. Gives an insight into how mad these guys are and how far beyond normal physical limits some of them can push their bodies. Also shows that sometimes it doesn't matter how strong or capable you are; your number might just be up and that's that.
To suggest two excellent reads, though going back in time a little, Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold and White Teeth by Zadie Smith are two of my all-time favourites and highly recommended.
I haven't read this (though I just picked it up for my wife) but I read "into the wild" and "under the banner of heaven"by him, both of them are excellent. Into the wild has the same crazy monomania that seems to infect into thin air (he refers to a time when he was doing crazy climbing stuff as a young man). Under the banner of heaven is a fantastic story about Mormon fundamentalists taking the murder of a woman and child as the starting point to examine the history of mormonism and also contemporary mormon fundamentalism.ceemec wrote:Finished Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, an account of the infamous 1996 Everest disaster by one of the climbers that was on the mountain that day. A decent read. The sheer tragedy of the story makes the final 100 pages fairly compelling reading. Gives an insight into how mad these guys are and how far beyond normal physical limits some of them can push their bodies. Also shows that sometimes it doesn't matter how strong or capable you are; your number might just be up and that's that.
Well I wasn't exactly expecting a comedy. So far it's very good.tate wrote:Donny B. wrote:
Have started 'Gomorrah' by Robert Saviano.
a depressing book, assuming that what he writes is not exaggerated
Big time.Slipper1 wrote:Patricia Cornwell has gone off the wall in her last few books.
Jaysus that Scarpetta one must be in her 80's by now!Hickiefan wrote:Big time.Slipper1 wrote:Patricia Cornwell has gone off the wall in her last few books.
Try Kathy Reichs, Karin Slaughter, Karen Rose or Tess Gerrisen instead.
Depressing but good film too.tate wrote:Donny B. wrote:
Have started 'Gomorrah' by Robert Saviano.
a depressing book, assuming that what he writes is not exaggerated
dont get me wrong, it's a fascinating book but the extent of the camorra influence is scary, for want of a better word.Donny B. wrote:Well I wasn't exactly expecting a comedy. So far it's very good.tate wrote:Donny B. wrote:
Have started 'Gomorrah' by Robert Saviano.
a depressing book, assuming that what he writes is not exaggerated
Have all of those - up to date with Reichs and nearly there with Gerritsen, have read a couple of Slaughters books and have the rest in a corner ready to read. Michael Connelly is next on the list.Hickiefan wrote:Big time.Slipper1 wrote:Patricia Cornwell has gone off the wall in her last few books.
Try Kathy Reichs, Karin Slaughter, Karen Rose or Tess Gerrisen instead.
Did you read the one she wrote on Jack the Ripper? Mental stuff.Slipper1 wrote:Patricia Cornwell has gone off the wall in her last few books.
Dave Cahill wrote:Did you read the one she wrote on Jack the Ripper? Mental stuff.Slipper1 wrote:Patricia Cornwell has gone off the wall in her last few books.
It's fairly mind boggling alright.tate wrote:dont get me wrong, it's a fascinating book but the extent of the camorra influence is scary, for want of a better word.Donny B. wrote:
Well I wasn't exactly expecting a comedy. So far it's very good.
Always thought Patricia Cornwell was a nice old English lady who wrote crime novels that featured a detective in the forties in England.fourthirtythree wrote:Never trust a Republican (American republicans that is, not real ones) lesbian: they hate themselves and everyone else too.
She was always a completely insane misanthropist, I only read the first one or two of her books and I was shocked at what an evil, hateful cow she was. I'm surprised you didn't notice before.
The earlier Bosch stuff is good, but "The Overlook" and the recent Bosch/Mickey Haller two-fer were so-so. They'd get you through a medium-haul plane journey.Slipper1 wrote:Michael Connelly is next on the list.
Ever tried Dennis Lehane?Slipper1 wrote:Michael Connelly is next on the list.
Really? I've only read "Shutter Island" but I thought he was way out of his depth. His writing simply wasn't good enough to keep up with the plot, which was quite involved, in fairness.Donny B. wrote:Ever tried Dennis Lehane?Slipper1 wrote:Michael Connelly is next on the list.
The five Kenzie/Gennaro books are excellent.