Fazer Owners Club - Unofficial
What the foc are you reading now! - Printable Version

+- Fazer Owners Club - Unofficial (https://foc-u.co.uk/mybb)
+-- Forum: General (https://foc-u.co.uk/mybb/forumdisplay.php?fid=65)
+--- Forum: General (https://foc-u.co.uk/mybb/forumdisplay.php?fid=69)
+--- Thread: What the foc are you reading now! (/showthread.php?tid=81591)

Pages: 1 2

What the foc are you reading now! - VNA - 12-04-20

OK, so we’ve got the ongoing ‘What are you listening to thread’, so what about ‘what the foc are you reading now’ thread?


VNA is not a big reader of books.  I’m always wanting to read books, sometimes I buy books, and occasionally I even read one or two of them.  Shocking really.


I figure, a lot of us, though not everybody, has a certain amount of time on their hands now and again at the mo.


So, rather than take out a Netflix subscription – all the rage these days – I’m gonna read some books.


So what the foc are you reading just now?  And if you are reading something really foccin good and would recommend – well go on, let us know.


VNA has just finished The Changeling by Robin Jenkins – which was absolutely fantastic.  Set in the 50’s in Glasgow, School teacher Mr Forbes takes an interest in bright young Tom Curdie, a troubled boy from the slums of Glasgow.  Unintended consequences I think is the phrase that springs to mind in this deeply dark short novel. 



If you do get a copy don’t whatever you do read the introduction!  (and don’t worry the use of Scots is fairly minimal)



I’ve now moved onto Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. An absolute hoot as Vonnegut savages every aspect of modern American society – at least I think that’s what he’s doing – foc knows, but it’s a heck of a laugh anyway. 



So yeah, both recommended if you haven’t already.


Re: What the foc are you reading now! - agricola - 12-04-20

Nothing arty farty for me. Agricola has recently finished A Brief History Of Time by Stephen Hawking. Ever since Agricola were a lad, Agricola has had a keen interest in things cosmological, and thought Carl Sagans 80s tv programmes were enthralling as he was exeptional at expalining complex matters.  A B H O T was interesting and imformative, and understandable early on, but the more it delved into particle physics, virtual and antiparticles, the more Agricola became lost. Ill pick it up and try again in a year or so when my brain has reset.

Re: What the foc are you reading now! - YamFazFan - 12-04-20

YamFazFan found this an enjoyable read and YamFazFan recommends it to VNA whole-heartedly...


Re: What the foc are you reading now! - mtread - 12-04-20

I always try and have a book on the go.
Currently working my way through the entire Ian Rankin Rebus novels from the beginning to the end. I know Edinburgh very well, so an added bonus. Currently on The Black Book, so loads to go.
Alternating with other authors, and just finished S J Parris' 'Treachery' set in Tudor England. The politics of the time!
My favourite book ever - 'Treasure Island' Robert Louis Stevenson. Read it so many times. My late father's copy awarded to him as a school prize  Smile


Re: What the foc are you reading now! - Dudeofrude - 12-04-20

(12-04-20, 08:27 PM)YamFazFan link Wrote: YamFazFan found this an enjoyable read and YamFazFan recommends it to VNA whole-heartedly...

For Focs sake don't set him off already ? can we at least have 1 thread that doesn't end up with you two bickering ??

As for the books, I'm a fan of fiction myself and have read pretty much the whole library of Mr Dean Koontz. I find his style of writing much better than Stephen King and the stories more interesting but I'd imagine that's very subjective.
Other than that I quite like to read comedians autobiographies. I find as a rule they have a very unusual outlook on life. I'm currently half way through Lee Mack's

Re: What the foc are you reading now! - coffee - 12-04-20

The life of a racer... Michael Rutters' story so far,a cracking read IMO, also my 5 yearly reread of Catcher in the rye,Fangios' life story and Jimmy Wilde,I've been reading these 3 books for years now and still enjoy them,when I was younger they used to fill me with inspiration whenever I read them.

Re: What the foc are you reading now! - darrsi - 12-04-20

Not normally a book reader any more, but a colleague was discussing this at work and he made it sound interesting, albeit unbelievable, so i thought I'd give it a go.
It's an eye opener to say the least from what I've read so far, about a subject I knew nothing about.

Re: What the foc are you reading now! - VNA - 12-04-20

Quote:Currently working my way through the entire Ian Rankin Rebus novels from the beginning to the end. I know Edinburgh very well, so an added bonus. Currently on The Black Book, so loads to go.
Not long started on the same journey.  Just finished Hide and Seek.  Did try Black and Blue first (book 8), the critics say from that book on he really had Rebus nailed.  But yeah, gone back to the beginning and working my way through.


I’ve also got One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night by Christopher Brookmyre to read, my Scots teacher of English friend tells me that if I like Rankin I’ll love Brookmyre – apparently.


Re: What the foc are you reading now! - VNA - 12-04-20

That should say book 8 - not  8)
Dunno what the foc that's about.


Re: What the foc are you reading now! - dazza - 12-04-20

I'm reading this at the moment. Quite informative and makes you realise how much bullshit and  bias there is in MSM.
However, if your intellect isn't up to the job, may I recommend the second option. :lol :lol :lol

Re: What the foc are you reading now! - mtread - 12-04-20

Quote: Not long started on the same journey.  Just finished Hide and Seek.  Did try Black and Blue first (book , the critics say from that book on he really had Rebus nailed.  But yeah, gone back to the beginning and working my way through.

Saw Rankin being interviewed at the last Ed Book Festival, and he said it took 'Black and Blue' before he was taken seriously. Lots of rejections prior to that. A good interview, then we all went to the Oxford Bar after  :thumbup

Re: What the foc are you reading now! - Grahamm - 13-04-20

(12-04-20, 07:55 PM)VNA link Wrote: OK, so we’ve got the ongoing ‘What are you listening to thread’, so what about ‘what the foc are you reading now’ thread?

Currently the collected Sherlock Holmes stories :thumbup

Re: What the foc are you reading now! - Grahamm - 13-04-20

(12-04-20, 08:27 PM)YamFazFan link Wrote: YamFazFan found this an enjoyable read and YamFazFan recommends it to VNA whole-heartedly...

So I'm sure YamFazFan would be quite capable of giving us a precis of the book...  :rollin

Re: What the foc are you reading now! - Grahamm - 13-04-20

(12-04-20, 08:32 PM)mtread link Wrote: Currently working my way through the entire Ian Rankin Rebus novels from the beginning to the end. I know Edinburgh very well, so an added bonus.

As mentioned above, I'm reading Sherlock Holmes and, even though I don't know London that well, occasionally a street name pops out and I think "Hey, I know where that is...!"


Re: What the foc are you reading now! - mtread - 13-04-20

Quote: So I'm sure YamFazFan would be quite capable of giving us a precis of the book... 



Spoiler - it ends rather messily  :lol

Re: What the foc are you reading now! - Oldgit - 13-04-20


Chickenhawk By Robert Mason.



Re: What the foc are you reading now! - VNA - 13-04-20

That's a good read Oldgit.

Re: What the foc are you reading now! - robbo - 13-04-20

A +1 for Chickenhawk. Currently I'm on Harry Redknapp's Always Managing.

Re: What the foc are you reading now! - Slaninar - 13-04-20

Last ones:

Edward Snowden: Permanent Record - surprisingly well written. Take it all with a grain of salt, but it is informative, more than entertaining, or enlightening.


Isaac Asimov: Robots, Empire and Foundation series. I love Asimov and SF in general, while the link has all the books listed in their "in-book-universe" chronological order. Suppose it makes most sense reading them that way, though it's not crucial.


Now reading some Serbocroatian collection of Noam Chomsky's works - couldn't find an English publication of that "compilation". It's not bad, but not too good either, anyway.

Re: What the foc are you reading now! - Dynspud - 14-04-20

+1 with the Dude for Dean Koontz novels - they are extremely good reads.
My favourite being "Intensity", which had me gripped from start to finish.


I've never been the biggest fan of autobiographies, until I read "My Shit Life So Far" by Frankie Boyle.
I cannot remember being so entertained and, in places quite moved, by what seems to be a genuine, warts and all, self portrait - excellent.


If you like thrillers, I recently read "I Am Pilgrim" by Terry Hayes - astounding novel that grips from start to finish and really makes you ponder what might actually be going on in the world that we know little or nothing about. One of my favourite books ever.


If I had to choose one book, it would be "Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy" by Douglas Adams - quite possibly the best book ever written. Had me physically laughing out loud on many occasions and the only book I've read 3 times.