"Book Club"

Rip and Rosie · Guru

"Book Club"

Vic41 · Guru

The Last Legion by Valerio Massimo Manfredi is a good book, also made into a movie in 2007 starring Colin Firth and Ben Kinsley among others.

I have read the book (couldn't put it down) but haven't seen the movie, there are some U tube clips of the movie if you google it.

"The Last Legion is a 2007 film directed by Doug Lefler. Produced by Dino De Laurentiis and others, it is based on a 2003 Italian novel of the same name written by Valerio Massimo Manfredi. "

kandagal · Guru

I just finished 2 of Dick Francis' books. Now in the middle of Digital Fortress by Dan Brown.

NeilandRaine · Guru

For me reading is simply escapism. I read mainly crime thrillers. Just finished The Gods of Guilt by Michael Connolly.
I am addicted to Lee Child, Jeannette Evanovic (Comedy) Karin Slaughter and Michael Connolly.
My Kobo Glow is my second best friend

Rip and Rosie · Guru

I really love historical romances and writers like Phillipa Gregory and Anne O'Brien.
Apparently Phillipa has a new on coming out on Mary Queen of Scots, and I'm hanging out for it.

scottynbulldog · Senior Member

I am reading 3 books at this time. Read my kindle in bed at night so as not to disturb hubby, who is not a reader. It is full of free books! Reading Bryce Courtney's Jack of Diamonds, with Di Morrissey's Winter Sea waiting to be read. Also have some books on an Ipod touch which I carry around just to read if I am waiting at any time. Itunes gives away a free book each week too so I sometimes pick one up there.

Nelly · Guru

I like Australian history written into a novel. My Mum had some old books written by E.V. Timms (I think 12 in all). Also the Australia series written by William Stuart Long. I started reading the books by Anna Jacobs - they are about old England and lead to Australia. Also like most Australian authors.
Have been tempted to buy a kindle - do you just download the books from various sites and can you get hold of any books?

Gerty Dancer · Guru

We discovered a great "book club" when we moved into this village. The local Lions Club run a 2nd hand book shop, and its crammed full, but fairly well organised so you can find a particular author if you want to. We read and return, but what I like most is you can try new authors or genre at a very low cost.

Just starting an old one from Jon Cleary "The Pulse of Danger" . Love all of his, from the "Sundowners" to the Scobie Malone series.
Maeve Binchy, Catherine Cookson, John Grisham, Val McDiarmid, Linda La Plante, Nancy Cato, Janet Evanovich, Erica James, Kerry Greenwood all favourites, enjoyed Elizabeth Gaskell's and Jane Austin's novels from the 19th Century too, and am so thankful to live in this time in Australia!

milo · Guru

Well, I've started reading Doomsday world by Peter David, a Star trek the next generation sci fi novel on my ipad..
im a slow reader ,taken me about a fort night to read 9 chapters, but then have had a lot on my plate..

The Phantom · Guru

Just finished 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. He is immensely popular in Japan and now making incursions into the Western world. Re-reading "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Pure escapism from a Nobel Prize winning author and also have David Hicks' "Guantanamo, My Journey" on the go.

No Kindle or the like for me. I love the tactile feel of a real book.

The Phantom

Rip and Rosie · Guru

I'm with you, Phantom.
I have some ebooks on the ipad, mainly for convenience when travelling, but I love the feel and smell of hard copy books.
I like the total experience of books.

Popeye · Senior Member

This bloke writes an ok book Raymond E. Feist

-- Edited by Popeye on Wednesday 1st of January 2014 07:43:28 PM

NeilandRaine · Guru

Nelly wrote:
I like Australian history written into a novel. My Mum had some old books written by E.V. Timms (I think 12 in all). Also the Australia series written by William Stuart Long. I started reading the books by Anna Jacobs - they are about old England and lead to Australia. Also like most Australian authors.
Have been tempted to buy a kindle - do you just download the books from various sites and can you get hold of any books?

Some people love real books but I am much happier reading my kobo. I know kobo have a large selection of books, I figure kindle does also.

Clare46 · Senior Member

I have a Kobo and get all my books from smashwords.com.I have a lot of free ones and some I've paid for but usually only 99 cents-$2.99

Pejay · Guru

I've just recently finished reading a book on the life and times of Lachlan Macquarie - real interesting, but then again I l-o-v-e reading books about Australian history, then I get a real kick out of going to these places. When we get home will start to read the book on the Dig Tree as we plan to head out there in April - NOT with our new van though!.

Thought - what about a section here on the forum to create a 'book club'? Sorry Cindy.

D and D · Guru

Clare46 wrote:
I have a Kobo and get all my books from smashwords.com.I have a lot of free ones and some I've paid for but usually only 99 cents-$2.99

Circular link. Try: http://www.smashwords.com/

Rip and Rosie · Guru

Pejay wrote:
I've just recently finished reading a book on the life and times of Lachlan Macquarie - real interesting, but then again I l-o-v-e reading books about Australian history, then I get a real kick out of going to these places. ...........................................

I am loving Ned Kelly by Peter Fitzsimmons, and have Rob Mundel's Cook waiting on the desk. Love exploring the places mentioned in Australian history novels.

If you have never read any of Carol Baxter's work, perhaps you would like it. She is known as History's Detective, and has written Breaking the Bank (about Australia's first bank robbery in 1829), Thunderbolt and his Lady. I have yet to get my hands on her latest work, but she provides a great read.

Thunderbolt and his Lady is a great book to read if you are spending time around the Barrington Tops (Gloucester) and New England (Tamworth) areas.

spida · Guru

Have an 8.5 GB stick with 11,000 books so reading voraciously on the Kindle. All sorts of things. Gabriel Garcia Marquez included - all 3 of his. Stunning books.
I checked yesterday and have read 124 books in the past year - mostly crime stuff, series like Dana Stabenow, David Baldacci..... anything that looks like it might or might not be interesting. Some I have struggled with and dumped. Also Stephen Hawkings - a couple of his on the Universe and big bang theory. Amazingly clear and simple explanations!
Since I have downloaded Calibre (free) I can organise all these books, add comments and rate them - that way I know what I have read. Definitely a recreational reader so don't remember much about many of these books - hence the comments etc.

More than willing to share these books - will give you my stick to transfer them- so if you have a 16GB stick on you when we meet....... smile

-- Edited by spida on Thursday 2nd of January 2014 10:26:43 AM

scottynbulldog · Senior Member

Nelly wrote:
I like Australian history written into a novel. My Mum had some old books written by E.V. Timms (I think 12 in all). Also the Australia series written by William Stuart Long. I started reading the books by Anna Jacobs - they are about old England and lead to Australia. Also like most Australian authors.
Have been tempted to buy a kindle - do you just download the books from various sites and can you get hold of any books?

With the Kindle Nelly, you have to download from Amazon mostly but they now have an Australian Kindle sight. If you download Calibre you can then download from any site to it and then transfer into your Kindle. this is easy to do but sometimes does not come out precisely as expected - words mixed up or wrong spelling etc. May be easier for you to buy another make of e-book reader.

Rip and Rosie · Guru

As a kid I read Mary Grant Bruce's series of books.

Anyone remember them?

RosieW · Guru

I am working on the last of Stephen King's Dark Tower series. Just finished the following over the past couple of weeks:

Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad;
Cloudstreet - Tim Winton;
Wild Swans - Three Daughters of China - forgot author's name;
Beloved - Toni Morrison;
Dune - Frank Herbert;
Of Mice & Men - John Steinbeck.

Just before Christmas I read all of the Jeffrey Deaver series about Lincoln Rhyme - the first book was made into a movie with Angelina Jolie & Denzel Washington some years ago - The Bone Collector. I liked the movie, and as expected, the books were great. Oddly, the lead character (Rhyme) was as cranky in the movie as the book, and his being confined to bed by an injury was also taken from the book. Odd, but good.

I still have, in my 'to read' pile:
White Teeth - Zadie something;
Where I'm Calling From - blank on the name - Aussie author. Has the story the movie Jindabyne & Paul Kelly's 'Everything's Turning to White' tell.
Siddartha - Hess.

I also have a few on my library wishlist. I'm getting as much leisure reading as I can done now, because once Uni starts again, I'll be head-down in academic waffle.

Gerty Dancer · Guru

Rip and Rosie wrote:
As a kid I read Mary Grant Bruce's series of books.

Anyone remember them?

Oh yes! The Billabong series... Norah and Wally. I found one in a second hand shop recently and soooo enjoyed reading it and remembering those old stories.