*** 'THE OFFICIAL BOOK THREAD' ***

[Waz1892]

Not happy my book thread has been pinched

Why not just merge them?

was just about to say this - apoligies to George, I never realised one existed (didn't search to be fair)

[George2Loose]

Waz this means war!!!!

Tikay I will never merge!

[Waz1892]

Waz this means war!!!!

Tikay I will never merge!

war it is, you can't call me someone without a spine, although its a bit of a bind to carry this on, but if you're not going to shelf it, then you best take cover Sir.

[titaniumbean]

Waz this means war!!!!

Tikay I will never merge!

lol mutli entry on ftp not for you then George!

[tikay]

Waz this means war!!!!

Tikay I will never merge!

war it is, you can't call me someone without a spine, although its a bit of a bind to carry this on, but if you're not going to shelf it, then you best take cover Sir.

Very good punship,

Best regards,

Tony Kindle

[Tal]

Fml this thread had Tal. Unofficial thread is doomed

Have you forgotten everything we shared, George?

http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=55053.msg1607883#msg1607883

#originalunofficialforever

[Marky147]

I never take the time to read anymore, my family are moving after xmas and instead of watching TV in my room before bed I'll read instead!

I used to read a lot of fiction and non fiction going back along before I got into poker, mostly true crime and autobiographies along with a few fiction authors.

John Grisham was one I used to read a lot of, James Patterson's Alex Cross books are very good too and of course my childhood favourite Roald Dahl

[Waz1892]

one of my new years resolutions is to read at least 12 books this year.  1 a month should be do-able. I wouldn't say I'm a quick reader or read a lot, so I think time scale sounds about right.

1st on the agenda of the 3 by my bed at the moment is Jared Tendler

next Rafa autobio surrounding the 2005 season

then a book from xmas, Rob Brydon autobio

[redarmi]

Would be great if this thread could become as healthy as the movie and TV show ones.

I read a LOT.  Probably average a couple of books a week.  Few highlights from last year:

NW by Zadie Smith - I am a huge Zadie Smith fanboy but this is a bit of a departure in style and she is definitely a serious writer now that is trying things with her 'art' and this is reflected in the structure of this book and it is heavy going in the early part but it is worth the investment if you are interested in characters and places.  I thought it was incredible and, like all the best things, a part of me was sad when I finished it but it is probably a marmite book.  Can't imagine many feeling meh about it.

Skagboys by Irvine Welsh - I loved Trainspotting and it is one of my favourite books ever and I enjoyed Porno the sequel and couple of other Welsh books so I was anticipating this book a great deal and it was enjoyable ratherthan great but it 'completes' the story so to speak as the prequel to Trainspotting and I read it in a couple of days.

The Signal and the Noise (The art and science of prediction) by Nate Silver - Like many others I became a Nate Silver convert over the course of the US election and bought his book and it is one of the best books I have read on prediction and statistics since Nicholas Nassim Taleb's Fooled by Randomness.  There is a section on poker and sport betting in it which may be of interest in particular to Blondes but I would urge anyone to take the time to read it all.  Excellent.

Going to Sea in a Sieve by Danny Baker - Autobiography of Bakers early life which is by turns hilarious and inspiring.  Anyone that has ever listened to any of DB's superb radio shows knows just how funny he can be and what a lust for life he seems to have and it comes across wonderfully in the book.  I read it in a few hours it was so enjoyable.

[RichS]

Looking forward to the last Wheel of time book, A memory of Light, out Jan 8th. Finally after 20years I can find out how it all ends. Anyone think the bad guys will win?

[Waz1892]

Teachers across the country have released their top 100 Books -

http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6327545

ashamed to say I've only read about 10!

1. Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen

2. To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee

3. Harry Potter (series) J.K. Rowling

4. Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte

5. Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte

6. Nineteen Eighty-Four George Orwell

7. The Lord of the Rings (series) J.R.R. Tolkien

8. The Book Thief Markus Zusak

9. The Hobbit J.R.R. Tolkien

10. The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald

11. The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini

12. The Hunger Games (series) Suzanne Collins

13. The Time Traveller’s Wife Audrey Niffenegger

14. The Chronicles of Narnia (series) C.S. Lewis

15. Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck

16. Birdsong Sebastian Faulks

17. His Dark Materials (series) Philip Pullman

18. The Gruffalo Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

19. The Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger

20. Life of Pi Yann Martel

21. Tess of the d’Urbervilles Thomas Hardy

22. Rebecca Daphne du Maurier

23. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Mark Haddon

24. Lord of the Flies William Golding

25. Matilda Roald Dahl

26. Catch-22 Joseph Heller

27. Millennium (series) Stieg Larsson

28. Animal Farm George Orwell

29. The Handmaid’s Tale Margaret Atwood

30. Persuasion Jane Austen

31. One Hundred Years of Solitude Gabriel Garcia Marquez

32. Kensuke’s Kingdom Michael Morpurgo

33. Goodnight Mister Tom Michelle Magorian

34. The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck

35. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Roald Dahl

36. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas John Boyne

37. Little Women Louisa May Alcott

38. One Day David Nicholls

39. We Need to Talk About Kevin Lionel Shriver

40. The Twits Roald Dahl

41. Wolf Hall Hilary Mantel

42. A Thousand Splendid Suns Khaled Hosseini

43. The Wind in the Willows Kenneth Grahame

44. Frankenstein Mary Shelley

45. Great Expectations Charles Dickens

46. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin Louis de Bernieres

47. George’s Marvellous Medicine Roald Dahl

48. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams

49. Room Emma Donoghue

50. Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy

51. Atonement Ian McEwan

52. Emma Jane Austen

53. Middlemarch George Eliot

54. The Shadow of the Wind Carlos Ruiz Zafon

55. The Color Purple Alice Walker

56. The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eric Carle

57. Brave New World Aldous Huxley

58. Sense and Sensibility Jane Austen

59. The Bell Jar Sylvia Plath

60. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Lewis Carroll

61. Charlotte’s Web E.B. White

62. Dracula Bram Stoker

63. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury

64. A Prayer for Owen Meany John Irving

65. The Secret History Donna Tartt

66. The Little Prince Antoine de Saint-Exupery

67. Crime and Punishment Fyodor Dostoevsky

68. The Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver

69. Jude the Obscure Thomas Hardy

70. Skellig David Almond

71. The Woman in White Wilkie Collins

72. Gone with the Wind Margaret Mitchell

73. Game of Thrones (series) George R.R. Martin

74. David Copperfield Charles Dickens

75. Never Let Me Go Kazuo Ishiguro

76. Where the Wild Things Are Maurice Sendak

77. Twilight (series) Stephenie Meyer

78. Beloved Toni Morrison

79. The Help Kathryn Stockett

80. Sherlock Holmes (series) Arthur Conan Doyle

81. Half of a Yellow Sun Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

82. Moneyball Michael Lewis

83. My Family and Other Animals Gerald Durrell

84. Memoirs of a Geisha Arthur Golden

85. On the Road Jack Kerouac

86. Cloud Atlas David Mitchell

87. Wild Swans Jung Chang

88. Anne of Green Gables L.M. Montgomery

89. Les Miserables Victor Hugo

90. Room on the Broom Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

91. Private Peaceful Michael Morpurgo

92. Noughts and Crosses Malorie Blackman

93. Cider with Rosie Laurie Lee

94. Danny the Champion of the World Roald Dahl

95. Down and Out in Paris and London George Orwell

96. The Magic Faraway Tree Enid Blyton

97. The Witches Roald Dahl

98. The God of Small Things Arundhati Roy

99. Holes Louis Sachar

100. The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde.

[Tal]

Annoyed the hell out of me on Friday when I saw that list. I had a proper old man rant at work.

Tess only being 21st, no Roald Dahl in the top 20 books. It's a globulous mess of overhyped Victorian bilge and books that will never be in the top 20 in ten years' time.

How can you capture kids' imaginations with Jane Austen? Wolf Hall is one of the most challenging reads around but if you want to be royally tested, Joyce is an infinitely more dexterous writer than Mantel.

[Waz1892]

Annoyed the hell out of me on Friday when I saw that list. I had a proper old man rant at work.

Tess only being 21st, no Roald Dahl in the top 20 books. It's a globulous mess of overhyped Victorian bilge and books that will never be in the top 20 in ten years' time.

How can you capture kids' imaginations with Jane Austen? Wolf Hall is one of the most challenging reads around but if you want to be royally tested, Joyce is an infinitely more dexterous writer than Mantel.

Main thing is though, at least you're over it!

(Sorry!)

[Tal]

Annoyed the hell out of me on Friday when I saw that list. I had a proper old man rant at work.

Tess only being 21st, no Roald Dahl in the top 20 books. It's a globulous mess of overhyped Victorian bilge and books that will never be in the top 20 in ten years' time.

How can you capture kids' imaginations with Jane Austen? Wolf Hall is one of the most challenging reads around but if you want to be royally tested, Joyce is an infinitely more dexterous writer than Mantel.

Main thing is though, at least you're over it!

(Sorry!)

Never gonna happen, Waz

Not your fault. I'm actually grateful you gave me that platform!

I feel most sorry for the poor woman who, in response to my rant, said "Well at least they haven't put any Shakespeare in"

[Laxie]

Annoyed the hell out of me on Friday when I saw that list. I had a proper old man rant at work.

Tess only being 21st, no Roald Dahl in the top 20 books. It's a globulous mess of overhyped Victorian bilge and books that will never be in the top 20 in ten years' time.

How can you capture kids' imaginations with Jane Austen? Wolf Hall is one of the most challenging reads around but if you want to be royally tested, Joyce is an infinitely more dexterous writer than Mantel.

I asked Tikay for his Top 10 list...years ago. He's still working on it.   

What would be in your Top 10 (or even 20) Tal?