The Susie Book Club

I've just finished the Painted bird by Jerzy Kosinski which is easily the most shocking book I've ever read.
It is about a young boy wondering from village to village in World war two Poland where he suffers constant abuse because he is mistaken for a Gypsy or a Jew and includes things such as incest, bestiality and rape as well as some pretty graphic violence.
Despite of, or perhaps because of this the book was impossible to put down and I had read it cover to cover within two days, worth reading as long as your not easily offended.

Just finished Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada - absolutely superb. If you've read Fatherland by Robert Harris then this is probably a bigger better take on a similar plot. WW2 and the underground movement against Nazism. Really interesting stuff.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay - Not a fan of comic books at all but it was really interesting reading about their early days, nice that Stan Lee even managed to get himself a cameo as well.

I'm reviving this thread, figure most of us will be doing some reading over the summer.



I read this last week and although I can't quite sum up what I thought I think the best word is frustrating.

I think it's something about the minor characters that winds me up. The main ones I find well constructed but it's characters like Ippolit that really grated me because I can't find a discernible reason for their being in the novel.

I've bought Neil Warnock's new book to read on holiday \o/

Sounds interesting, he seems the type that would use a book to settle old scores.

I'm working my way through Celine's Journey To The End Of The Night, I wasn't sure what to expect before starting but as it had influenced a lot of writers I like I thought I'd give it a go, turns out it's really easy to read and you fly through it.

Does anyone have any recommendations for Kindle books I can get for very little money ie. <1 pound per book?

Skint at the moment but would like some more reading material.

I read Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk and The Alchemist by Paolo Cuelho whilst on holiday. Loved both, despite them being extremely different.

Read Survivor ages ago. Remember it as being pretty fucking good.

Just finished off Fever Pitch, it was an interesting read. One of those things that really brings perspective on just how different modern football is from what existed in the not so distant past.

Yeah, it's absolutely quality. I read 300 pages or so in three days. One of Palahniuk's best.

Just finished reading Ben Elton's Two Brothers the other day, anyone else read it?

Anyway, really enjoyed it but some of the dialogue was really jarring. Like the kids in it were kids of today rather than of the time, aside from that it was really good though not something id read normally. Just started reading C.J. Sansom's Dominion which ive heard alot of good things about.

Im currently reading Stiffs: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach for anyone who likes reading non-fiction. Really interesting and reads very easily, her style of writing is just the perfect amount of very informative and entertaining.

Just noticed the kindle app on Mac so got a few books on there. Just read Slow Getting Up. A biography about a NFL player. Was a good read if your interested in NFL

Not heard of that one before, who's it about?

Next Man Up is a great read if you want to get an insight into the workings of an NFL team - kind of an NFL version of Friday Night Lights (also an excellent book).

Nate Jackson. Played TE for Broncos. He talks about how the injures where treated, NFL Europe and the team meetings they would have and so on

I've just downloaded Fergie's autobiography on my Kindle, I don't normally read autobiographys but I'm actually intrested to read his.

I read the Great Gatsby last night after resolving to read the fifty classic books that are engraved on a bookmark my wife brought. I have to say this one failed to really spark my interest even though it is quite a short novel. I found some of the prose somewhat difficult to follow and had to re-read many parts in order to ascertain what was going on.

Felt that I haven't been reading enough lately so I decided I was going to read more books this year as a new years resolution of sorts.

Started off on Friday by picking up Irvine Welsh's Skagboys. Gotten about a third of the way through. It's much closer to the brilliance of Trainspotting than Porno was.

Finished Skagboys today. Here's a copy-paste of my shitty attempt at a review:



Skagboys - Irvine Welsh

Set in the mid-1980s Skagboys chronicles how Renton, Spud and Sick Boy, the main characters of Welsh's Trainspotting and Porno, descended into heroin addiction. The book employs the familiar narrative structure of the previous books, with each chapter acting as a short story of its own, recounting the adventures and thoughts of Welsh's vast cast of characters while switching back and forth between first and third-person. In addition to exploring the driving forces behind heroin addiction Skagboys also recounts the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Edinburgh and the alienation of the working class under Thatcher. While the book is gritty it never gets close to the level of gruesomeness frequently displayed in Trainspotting and also lacks its edge. Skagboys is a solid, well-written book and a better effort than the preceding Porno but ultimately it will only truly appeal to those already enchanted by the characters of Welsh's underclass Leith first introduced in Trainspotting.

I've been re-reading The Honorverse books by David Weber in my spare time with work and such. However, this week I won't be able to as I have to interview for a transfer to Germany. I also just finished reading The Butterfly Mosque by G. Willow Wilson. She also happens to be the writer of the new Ms. Marvel comic coming out shortly (at least here in the states).

Have you read Last Exit to Brooklyn Franck? If you like Irvine Welsh's stuff it's worth a try, Hubert Selby was a massive influence on Welsh, especially when he was writing Trainspotting.

I'll check that out

I just finished The Promised Land by Daniel Harris. A fantastic read for any United fan.

Now I've started Morrissey's autobiography at last, bought it the day it came out and have only just got around to reading it.

I'm currently halfway through The Strain trilogy by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan. Wanted to read it before the TV Show starts in June and I would highly recommend. Very creepy

I just picked up the girl who saved the king of Sweden by Jonas Jonasson. I enjoyed his previous book 'The 100 year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared'.

Finished Bret Easton Ellis' Less Than Zero yesterday, quick, easy read where little happens until the last 35 pages or so. Really good, especially when you consider Ellis was only 19 when he wrote it.

Just finished Brilliant Orange which was a fantastic read. Lead me to order Danish Dynamite which should get here next week.

I've read a few books recently, all the Game of Thrones books which are great, very immersive and well worth reading if your a fan of the TV series.

I've also read re-read John Grisham's 'A Time to kill' and the sequel Sycamore Row which are also very good.