Banana, Kiribati Superthread

[major_panic]

When the Powers Fall: Reconciliation in the Healing of Nations, Walter Wink

10/10

A brilliant theological insight into the theological idea of reconciliation being applied in real-life situations involving global actors. I haven't read much Wink but he is fast becoming one of my favourite theologians. One memorable quote from him (from another book of his), which I know most people here will like, goes: "Against such an image of God [as genocidal destroyer of the Canaanites] the revolt of atheism is an act of pure religion".

 

[Axver]

Contest by Matthew Reilly. 8.5/10.

Mindless action novel. Awesome mindless action novel. Matthew Reilly is not a technically talented writer, and his recent books have been pretty crap really, but his first few are the best action I've ever read. Contest probably crosses into sci-fi a bit, since you've all kinds of crazy alien shit, but it's really just a no-holds-barred action novel told at a pace quicker than any other book I've read.

That said, Matthew Reilly was set for even better things with Ice Station and Temple.

 

[bono_212]

Let me just fess up to the fact that I adore A Series of Unfortunate Events. I'm probably alone, possibly the only one in here who knows what it is. Just...never have I loved a "kids" series that much.

 

[Slopsy]

Ok, I gotta go and do another thing.

Bye people

 

[major_panic]

Contest by Matthew Reilly. 8.5/10.

Mindless action novel. Awesome mindless action novel. Matthew Reilly is not a technically talented writer, and his recent books have been pretty crap really, but his first few are the best action I've ever read. Contest probably crosses into sci-fi a bit, since you've all kinds of crazy alien shit, but it's really just a no-holds-barred action novel told at a pace quicker than any other book I've read.

That said, Matthew Reilly was set for even better things with Ice Station and Temple.

I wholeheartedly endorse this, and am in fact a bit surprised you actually like Reilly.

It's just so sad that Seven Ancient Wonders and Six Sacred Stones were so, well, crap, and buying into that whole mindless conspiracy crap that Dan Brown kicked off.

 

[Axver]

The Harvest of Sorrow: Soviet Collectivisation and the Terror-Famine by Robert Conquest. 7/10.

This was possibly the first academic history I read. It's heavy stuff and I found it slow going back then. I've been flicking through it a bit lately too, since I'm doing Aspects of Stalinism and this is a fairly significant text. My lecturer has some disagreement with Conquest's conclusions, so there should be some fun times ahead ...

 

[Slopsy]

Let me just fess up to the fact that I adore A Series of Unfortunate Events. I'm probably alone, possibly the only one in here who knows what it is. Just...never have I loved a "kids" series that much.

I love those books!!!

 

[LemonMelon]

Could you guys read some things for me?

The Last Rewind

Sleeping Monkeys

"'Kippers for breakfast, Aunt Helga? Is it St. Swithin's Day already?'"

 

[liamcool]

Great resource. Probably not terribly entertaining or useful if you're not a playwright, though.

 

[liamcool]

"'Kippers for breakfast, Aunt Helga? Is it St. Swithin's Day already?'"

...I fail to see how that relates, Basil.

 

[bono_212]

I love those books!!!

Can I marry you? I won't tell Bonnie.

 

[major_panic]

We are all such nerds. Books and music...

 

[Axver]

Bye Charlotte!

Let me just fess up to the fact that I adore A Series of Unfortunate Events. I'm probably alone, possibly the only one in here who knows what it is. Just...never have I loved a "kids" series that much.

I know what it is. Haven't touched it. Won't either!

I wholeheartedly endorse this, and am in fact a bit surprised you actually like Reilly.

It's just so sad that Seven Ancient Wonders and Six Sacred Stones were so, well, crap, and buying into that whole mindless conspiracy crap that Dan Brown kicked off.

In my mid-teenage years, I was really into Reilly's first three books. I've read all of them multiple times. Ice Station in particular slays and I'd say it's the best action novel I've ever read. Good god that man knows how to tell a fast story. I don't get these fanlads and fangirls who make a point of clearing their schedule the day a book comes out and sit down and read it from start to finish (in fact, I think if you're doing it just because you're making a point of it, you're doing reading wrong), but when it simply happens out of nowhere, it's a brilliant thing. That's when you know you're onto a killer story. It happened to me not just the first time I read Ice Station, but the second time too.

I haven't even read Seven Ancient Wonders and Six Sacred Stones because they just sound so CRAP. And Hovercar Racer? What the hell was the point of that?

 

[major_panic]

In my mid-teenage years, I was really into Reilly's first three books. I've read all of them multiple times. Ice Station in particular slays and I'd say it's the best action novel I've ever read. Good god that man knows how to tell a fast story. I don't get these fanlads and fangirls who make a point of clearing their schedule the day a book comes out and sit down and read it from start to finish (in fact, I think if you're doing it just because you're making a point of it, you're doing reading wrong), but when it simply happens out of nowhere, it's a brilliant thing. That's when you know you're onto a killer story. It happened to me not just the first time I read Ice Station, but the second time too.

I haven't even read Seven Ancient Wonders and Six Sacred Stones because they just sound so CRAP. And Hovercar Racer? What the hell was the point of that?

I was initially really wary of Ice Station, just cause all of my less literate friends were banging on about how awesome it was, then I read it and really enjoyed it. And now I have almost all of Reilly's books.

Don't bother with Wonders or Stones, you'll hate them even more than I do cause you're a historian. They're pretty much like Angels and Demons and the Da Vinci Code, except faster and a bit more ludicrous.

And I always thought Hovercar Racer read just as a movie script, far more so than a novel.

 

[bono_212]

Bed

 

[Axver]

The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language by Melvyn Bragg. 9/10.

You know you're a nerd when you've not only read this, but find it coming up in conversation with a degree of regularity. It's a good book, told well. My only real quibble is it gives far too little time to forms of English from my part of the world. New Zealand barely rates a mention despite its vowel shift. I'm not sure I remember Pacific Islander English even getting a mention, and Australia doesn't get all that much space either. Meanwhile, Bragg prattles on and on about US English. But take what you can get really, and the lack of a broad focus doesn't detract much.

In any case, I think the far more interesting part of the book is the development of English before it spread to the colonies and the rest of the world.

 

[Axver]

I was initially really wary of Ice Station, just cause all of my less literate friends were banging on about how awesome it was, then I read it and really enjoyed it. And now I have almost all of Reilly's books.

Don't bother with Wonders or Stones, you'll hate them even more than I do cause you're a historian. They're pretty much like Angels and Demons and the Da Vinci Code, except faster and a bit more ludicrous.

And I always thought Hovercar Racer read just as a movie script, far more so than a novel.

All I'd heard of him in 2001 or whenever it was, was a single review in the local paper that seemed moderately interesting. I was in a supermarket - surely a bad sign - and saw it one day going cheaply and just picked it up on a whim. I didn't know decent books could be found in supermarkets. I suspect this might have been the exception that proves the rule actually.

Ha, I won't. Scarecrow and Area 7 were enough of a letdown really. Would Reilly's editor kindly stop him abusing exclamation marks? It makes me think a 13 year old was the author.

Bed

Nooo, don't you people leave! I've barely started with this nerd-off.

 

[Reggo]

Wow, I think it's time I publicly admitted that Axver's smarter than me.

 

[bono_212]

Tell me which superthread I posted in more than once, and I'll think about staying.

 

[Alisaura]

The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language by Melvyn Bragg. 9/10.

*also loves this book*

 

[Axver]

Thanks Reggo, or maybe it's just that I have the nerdiest book collection ever.

Tell me which superthread I posted in more than once, and I'll think about staying.

This one?

 

[major_panic]

All I'd heard of him in 2001 or whenever it was, was a single review in the local paper that seemed moderately interesting. I was in a supermarket - surely a bad sign - and saw it one day going cheaply and just picked it up on a whim. I didn't know decent books could be found in supermarkets. I suspect this might have been the exception that proves the rule actually.

Ha, I won't. Scarecrow and Area 7 were enough of a letdown really. Would Reilly's editor kindly stop him abusing exclamation marks? It makes me think a 13 year old was the author.

I mainly liked Scarecrow because

Spoiler

that girl, what's-her-name, gets her head chopped off. You wouldn't see many authors doing that, what!

By the way; are we still photographing tomorrow? I've got several things I should be doing so I don't know if I still can, but I'm happy to. In other words, I'm indecisive.

 

[major_panic]

Wow, I think it's time I publicly admitted that Axver's smarter than me.

 

[bono_212]

This one?

I swear I wrote first!

Tell me the FIRST superthread I posted in more than once.

 

[Axver]

The Cobra Event by Richard Preston. 8.5/10.

My father bought this for me many Christmases ago and I've read it at least twice. Kind of scary scientific thriller based around some rather nasty virus. Quite a gripping read and I'd recommend it to anybody into this sort of stuff.

 

[Alisaura]

I mainly liked Scarecrow because

Spoiler

that girl, what's-her-name, gets her head chopped off. You wouldn't see many authors doing that, what!

This is the first time I've seen that spoiler tag used for its intended purpose!

 

[Reggo]

Thanks Reggo, or maybe it's just that I have the nerdiest book collection ever.

No, I gotta go with smarter. I can babble off some half-assed explanation of Einsteinian physics, but--yeah. I think you're smarter than me. But you never read your PMs, so...you're also kind of an idiot.

Hi, Ali!

 

[major_panic]

This is the first time I've seen that spoiler tag used for its intended purpose!

Quick, someone post that OMG gif!

 

[Axver]

I swear I wrote first!

Tell me the FIRST superthread I posted in more than once.

Haha.

Hole of Horcum!

 

[Axver]

*also loves this book*

Wow, really? You totally weren't the main person I was implying this comes up in conversation with regularly!

No, I gotta go with smarter. I can babble off some half-assed explanation of Einsteinian physics, but--yeah. I think you're smarter than me. But you never read your PMs, so...you're also kind of an idiot.

Haha, no, this time it's because the forum hadn't notified me that I have a new PM.