Book thread

[tate]

Have started 'Gomorrah' by Robert Saviano.

a depressing book, assuming that what he writes is not exaggerated

[Hippo]

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.

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.

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.

[ceemec]

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.

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.

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.

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.

Regarding the litter, there have been some efforts made in recent years at great cost to clean up the mountain but as long as people continue to discard their empty oxygen cannisters etc higher up the slope, it will be a losing battle. Not many people are going to risk death at 8,000m to do some cleaning. If they can't/won't remove the bodies of the climbers that die up there, the litter doesn't have much hope. They've successfully cleared a decent amount of material from the lower slopes though and have a lot of the material returned to base camp.

[fourthirtythree]

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.

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.

If you are considering watching the fantastic HBO series "big love" I would recommend reading this book as it enriches the experience having important background detail.

[Slipper1]

Patricia Cornwell has gone off the wall in her last few books.

[Donny B.]

Have started 'Gomorrah' by Robert Saviano.

a depressing book, assuming that what he writes is not exaggerated

Well I wasn't exactly expecting a comedy. So far it's very good.

[Hickiefan]

Patricia Cornwell has gone off the wall in her last few books.

Big time.

Try Kathy Reichs, Karin Slaughter, Karen Rose or Tess Gerrisen instead.

[Peg Leg]

Patricia Cornwell has gone off the wall in her last few books.

Big time.

Try Kathy Reichs, Karin Slaughter, Karen Rose or Tess Gerrisen instead.

Jaysus that Scarpetta one must be in her 80's by now!

[fourthirtythree]

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.

[Blue Steel]

Have started 'Gomorrah' by Robert Saviano.

a depressing book, assuming that what he writes is not exaggerated

Depressing but good film too.

Like City of God but with greaseballs.

[tate]

Have started 'Gomorrah' by Robert Saviano.

a depressing book, assuming that what he writes is not exaggerated

Well I wasn't exactly expecting a comedy. So far it's very good.

dont get me wrong, it's a fascinating book but the extent of the camorra influence is scary, for want of a better word.

[Slipper1]

Patricia Cornwell has gone off the wall in her last few books.

Big time.

Try Kathy Reichs, Karin Slaughter, Karen Rose or Tess Gerrisen instead.

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.

[Dave Cahill]

Patricia Cornwell has gone off the wall in her last few books.

Did you read the one she wrote on Jack the Ripper? Mental stuff.

[Slipper1]

Patricia Cornwell has gone off the wall in her last few books.

Did you read the one she wrote on Jack the Ripper? Mental stuff.

Yep a couple of years ago - she seems to have the opinion that just because she sells millions of books she can write what she wants. I understand she writes fiction (Ripper book included there) but there is a line between popular fiction for the masses and writing what the hell she wants because she knows that anyone will buy her books because of who she is.

[Donny B.]

Well I wasn't exactly expecting a comedy. So far it's very good.

dont get me wrong, it's a fascinating book but the extent of the camorra influence is scary, for want of a better word.

It's fairly mind boggling alright.

[Donny B.]

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.

Always thought Patricia Cornwell was a nice old English lady who wrote crime novels that featured a detective in the forties in England.

[honeyec]

Michael Connelly is next on the list.

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.

Avoid "A Darkness More than Night" and "Void Moon" like the plague. Complete and utter twaddle.

Worth Reading
The Black Echo
The Black Ice
The Concrete Blonde
The Last Coyote
The Poet
Trunk Music
Blood Work
Angel's Flight
City of Bones
Lost Light
The Narrows
The Lincoln Lawyer

Don't Bother
Void Moon
A Darkness More than Night
The Overlook

Meh
Chasing the Dime
The Closers
Echo Park
The Brass Verdict
The Scarecrow

[Donny B.]

Michael Connelly is next on the list.

Ever tried Dennis Lehane?

The five Kenzie/Gennaro books are excellent.

[honeyec]

Michael Connelly is next on the list.

Ever tried Dennis Lehane?

The five Kenzie/Gennaro books are excellent.

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.

[Dave Cahill]

I've long been a fan of Christopher Fowlers Byrant and May series of novels. Mystery/Chiller/Crime type novels set in London and based upon London and its history and myths.