Of great read and authors..

[yinyang]

why they have so much dialogue is to make the story more fast moving and make for easier reading.
That's why James Patterson is so popular, and also because his chapters are all very short. He and his co-authors are no literary geniuses, that's for sure, but they certainly provide an entertaining read.

Yo, yours hit right on the button. Gratification is (almost) instantaneous and panders to consumers tastes.

First person style can be very readable. You should read the first person classic by Agatha Christie "The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd". Oh, but you don't like female mystery writers.

Yet to overcome my sexist prejudice (caveat again: only writers:o). But juicy write ups or confessions (eg late model Hicks awhile back) are something else. I mean, few would mind:p

Cheers, appreciate you and rest for dropping by (to give this languishing thread a kiss of life... oops, pun unintended)

 

[kingrant]

Try Churchill, Hitler, and the Unnecessary War by Pat Buchanan.

It bashes Churchill and says he was as much to blame for the WW2 as Hitler.

It'll destroy yr illusions of Churchill. Based on a lot of research, war archives and oral history etc. but easy to read despite being a tome.

currently reading Niall Ferguson's Empire about the once-great British Empire. Anyone knows of other interesting reads of the same genre?

Previously was reading another interesting historical book, this one a narrative from David McCullough - 1776, about the American War of Independence. Not too bad!

 

[Ramseth]

Some essential readings (not exhaustive) :

William Shakespeare : Hamlet, Macbeth, The Merchant Of Venice

Charles Dickens : A Tale Of Two Cities, Great Expectations

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle : Sherlock Holmes (all in the series)

Mario Puzo : The Godfather

Frederick Forsyth : The Day Of The Jackal, The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol

Lord Jeffrey Archer : First Among Equals

John Grisham : The Firm, The Pelican Brief

 

[Sideswipe]

Some essential readings (not exhaustive) :

Lord Jeffrey Archer : First Among Equals

almost all Archer books were great, even his prison stories.

my fav is The Fourth Estate.

 

[yinyang]

..Archer books were great, even his prison stories. my fav is The Fourth Estate.

Quite an interesting character, once deputy chairman of Tories and after fell from grace to prison.

His Kane & Abel double series were riveting on 2 sibling rivalry and on Kennedy assassination. Even his short stories like Quiver of Arrows, Cat O'Nine Tails were good (and easy trademark) reads.

His last fiction was 2009 Paths of Glory (Mt Everest climb with romance).

Frederick Forsyth : The Day Of The Jackal, The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol

1st 2 hit the big screens, former on assasination De Gaulle (meticulous planning).
His last was 2006 Afghan. Next in fall 2010: Cobra

 

[kingrant]

One of my favourite writer is Kurt Vonnegut. He was badly affected by the Allied firebombing of Dresden, the genesis of his signature Slaughterhouse Five. Can try his other shorter stories - always black humour, witty and entertaining. Cat's Cradle, Welcome to the Monkey House....I've almost read all his books.

 

[kingrant]

Anybody read Steve Dublanica's Waiter Rant? It's about the life of a waiter in NY. The bums, the morons, the geniuses, the obnoxious, the tightwads..waiter life, long, lonely,..about a part-time waiter aspiring to become a writer..

Steve's style is cynical; he has a unique turn of phrase, use of similes, wry huimour.his model is Raymond Chandler, and he wants to write like him. RC is a creator of Philip Marlowe, private dick and gumshoe. You can google both guys to find out more.

 

[Faidenk]

He is also very good at describing sex scenes, perhaps that's another reason why you liked reading his books? I know it's my main reason, hehehe.

You forgot to mention "The Sins Of Philip Fleming". It's about a married author who lusts after another woman, but after he manages to satisfy his lust, he finds that it's not that great after all.

Pity his books can't be found in SG these days, perhaps they have been banned.

On the subject of sex scenes, I think none can beat My Secret Life by Anonymous. You can find the whole unabridged book here. (Click here)

I think the entire 4 classes of 1968 must have spent gallons when one of my classmate found this novel his father kept hidden. By the end of the week the book had been torn into about chapter-sized portions held jealously by a few dozens hormone-crazed schoolboys. Those chapters made the rounds among only that envied group, strictly on a one-to-one exchange basis. Jeez, we must have been wanking like 5 times a day.

 

[yinyang]

On the subject of sex scenes, I think none can beat My Secret Life by Anonymous. You can find the whole unabridged book here. (Click here)
...Jeez, we must have been wanking like 5 times a day.

Hehehe, which reminds me of sec 1 days when 1 smarty pants wrapped Fanny Hill (I know it's tame) in innocent looking brown paper and labelled Adventures of Tom Sawyer

 

[yinyang]

Chanced on this interesting read, and easy on the eyes on a recent plane ride. 19 short stories from erotica published in Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia. They each celebrate, sometimes in different ways, aspects of the sexual and the sensual.:p

Follow-up volume to the highly successful “The Best of Singapore Erotica” published by Monsoon Books (Singapore) in 2006.

 

[Beckenham]

'War' by Sebastian Junger is highly recommended. Can't put it down, er, shut it down on my Sony Ebook reader

http://www.amazon.com/WAR-Sebastian-Junger/dp/0446556246

 

[yinyang]

Back from cold?

Latest by David De Silva "Rembrandt Affair" is a page turner. Our Israeli assasin (fiction depicting real life from Munich olympics aftermath revenge), leaving his alter ego as art restorer now onto Dutch art affair unearthing surprises from anti-semitic drive from WW2 and high escapade to Argentina

http://www.danielsilvabooks.com/books/rembrandt_affair.asp?id=desc

 

[Sideswipe]

the best King/Bachman book I read, second is Shawshank Redemption.
it's a magnificent story, absolutely mesmerizes the reader with its emotional power and life metaphors. it makes me think about life and death in a new light.

think Japanese novel Battle Royale took it's inspiration from The Long Walk.

 

[Equalisation]

Asterix and the Big Fight .... best lah joe ....:o

 

[Equalisation]

Tintin in the adventure at the tavern .....:o

 

[red amoeba]

Tintin in the adventure at the tavern .....:o

==

what? Got such a book?

 

[red amoeba]

who have read War and Peace ? Honestly....i look at the thickness i want to fall asleep.

 

[Equalisation]

==

what? Got such a book?

Have. The story and images starts when Tintin ask the bar-tender of the tavern : Ada Heineken atau Chivas tak ?

 

[yinyang]

//story and images starts when Tintin ask the bar-tender of the tavern : Ada Heineken atau Chivas tak ?

Good 1. Teetoller how? Teh tarik, and kopi-kosong. Oops, sorry Tintin at ah neh kopi tua:p

who have read War and Peace ? Honestly....i look at the thickness i want to fall asleep.

Hats off to those who have. Aiyah, so cheem.. thinking about it already dopey, never mind starting on 1st page

Asterix and the Big Fight .... best lah joe

Qualify too, pics easy on the eyes over font!

 

[red amoeba]

i gonna try....reading War and Peace...after i clear the backlog of books that i am to read. haha...

actually reading war and peace is nothing...anyone who have read Finnegan's wake deserves a Tiger !