Read any good books this holiday?

[Pieter1]

I was never much of a reader, then I read The book thief. Awesome book! Now I have these 3 lined up.

Really looking forward to them.

[HappyMartin]

I was never much of a reader, then I read The book thief. Awesome book! Now I have these 3 lined up.

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Really looking forward to them.

Reading has been a lifelong companion. A refuge in tough times, a distraction in tedious times and a constant source of entertainment and information.

[Red Robin]

Reading has been a lifelong companion. A refuge in tough times, a distraction in tedious times and a constant source of entertainment and information.

So true, a good book is one of life's pleasures.

[Lexx]

If you want to know the real story behind the "Sars roque unit" and how Sars management work, read this book.

It's eye opening. And I'm working for Sars.

Edited October 6, 2016 by Lexx

[eddy]

If you want to know the real story behind the "Sars roque unit" and how Sars management work, read this book.

It's eye opening. And I'm working for Sars.

It is a very good read and a very, very troubling one.

[Harryn]

If you want to know the real story behind the "Sars roque unit" and how Sars management work, read this book.

It's eye opening. And I'm working for Sars.

Just started it. So far makes for fascinating reading. It does not exactly cover the Sunday Times in glory.

 

Another book I just finished is Samantha Cowen's "From whiskey to water". It took huge guts to write that story, and I found it inspirational. Really enjoyed it.

[Pieter1]

Reading has been a lifelong companion. A refuge in tough times, a distraction in tedious times and a constant source of entertainment and information.

I can see that it could be that for me to. I really enjoyed The book thief. Was the second book that I ever read without being forced to do so.

[Red Robin]

Another book I just finished is Samantha Cowen's "From whiskey to water". It took huge guts to write that story, and I found it inspirational. Really enjoyed it.

 

Thanks, I will now give it a try, I read her first book ' Waiting for Christopher' and found it very  irritating and her 'complaints' trite but in hindsight I think it was more me and what I was going through as opposed to the actual book.   

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

I posted about his other book Outriders a couple of pages ago 

 

11 chapters in, and so far it's brilliant. Engaging, not too fast but not tedious either. Reminds me a lot of the first book in the Commonwealth Saga by Peter F Hamilton (Pandora's Star) and considering the recent developments of SpaceX's rocket tech and plans for colonisation of Mars, it's also pretty current ito Sci-Fi - IOW not too far-fetched. 

 

I'm hooked. 

[Tumbleweed]

I think so, probably his best book is "Into thin air" well worth reading it if you havent already. "Into the wild" is also excellent.

 

I would say stay away from some of his other stuff like "Under the banner of Heaven" very heavy reading and one of the few books I never finished.   

 

Thanks, Into Thin Air is the one that gets brought up most often. I loved the film of Into the Wild, but that also had to do with Eddie Vedder's soundtrack. 

 

Tumbles - read Krakauer's Everest book (really about experienced guides losing their lives trying to save tourists imho) book but try Joe Simpson - Touching the Void for a real chill (sic) up your spine. The book by the guy left for dead (Beck Wethers?) on that expedition is also interesting.

 

The "South Africans" (Woodall et al) don't come out too well on that Everest saga and one SA guy went missing as I remember. Sad.

 

The South Africans is the one angle that I want to pursue...in the movie, I got the feeling that the Saffas nicked the O₂

 

Joe Simpson is great. I loved Touching the Void, which took me on to his Game of Ghosts and The Beckoning Silence.  

 

Enhanced by the consumption of the odd joint

 

His writing or my reading?     

[Kranswurm]

Thanks, Into Thin Air is the one that gets brought up most often. I loved the film of Into the Wild, but that also had to do with Eddie Vedder's soundtrack. 

 

 

The South Africans is the one angle that I want to pursue...in the movie, I got the feeling that the Saffas nicked the O₂

 

Joe Simpson is great. I loved Touching the Void, which took me on to his Game of Ghosts and The Beckoning Silence.  

 

 

His writing or my reading?     

Lol...his writing

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Thanks, Into Thin Air is the one that gets brought up most often. I loved the film of Into the Wild, but that also had to do with Eddie Vedder's soundtrack. 

 

 

The South Africans is the one angle that I want to pursue...in the movie, I got the feeling that the Saffas nicked the O₂

 

Joe Simpson is great. I loved Touching the Void, which took me on to his Game of Ghosts and The Beckoning Silence.  

 

 

 

Into thin air also deals with that fateful expedition up Everest. There have been a few books written about that particular expedition and I have read three I think but the one that still rings most true to me is Jon's book. 

Another good one on that expedition is by a Russian climber I forget his name and the books name, I would need to go look, but he was a seriously tough cookie (some might say a nutter) who had climbed Everest a few times before without O2, anyway his recount of the story is also very good, I'll try find the details.

 

I thought the movie Into the Wild was superb, but the book is also excellent. There has been numerous stories about the validity of the book with many people saying Chris was a suicidal maniac and not a young man living life to its fullest. Hard to say, but his sister also wrote a book which I read as well called "The Wild Truth" where she admits to having consulted extensively with Jon when he wrote the book, but she also admits that she asked Jon not to comment on their family life which was to say the least violent and completely dysfunctional, she also admits to serious issues with alcohol, been romantically involved with questionable folk and been a young mother on the verge of bankruptcy and almost living on the streets.

 

She and Chris came from difficult backrounds.

 

However to her credit she managed to pull herself together, started a small car repair business (of all things ) and turned it into a roaring success story, so in all a nice ending to what I think was a difficult life for both.      

[mazambaan]

I used to live climbing and devour those climbing books.

 

Grumps; The Ruskie maybe Anatolii Boukerev; rip - wind blasted / avalanched off Annapurna or K2 I think.  The accounts of the guys that have climbed all the 8000m plus peaks are generally all good. Other seriously hard men include Doug Scott who retreated off some Himalayan peak with a broken leg.  Peter Hilary (Ed's lighty) also wrote a book about surviving a big accident.

 

Tumbles; another dot on the Joe Simpson i is to read "against the Wall" by Simon Yates who cut the rope.

 

Krakauer's Eiger Dreams also a reasonable read. Eish, try the White Spider - Heinrich Harrer.

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I used to live climbing and devour those climbing books.

 

Grumps; The Ruskie maybe Anatolii Boukerev; rip - wind blasted / avalanched off Annapurna or K2 I think.  The accounts of the guys that have climbed all the 8000m plus peaks are generally all good. Other seriously hard men include Doug Scott who retreated off some Himalayan peak with a broken leg.  Peter Hilary (Ed's lighty) also wrote a book about surviving a big accident.

 

Tumbles; another dot on the Joe Simpson i is to read "against the Wall" by Simon Yates who cut the rope.

 

Krakauer's Eiger Dreams also a reasonable read. Eish, try the White Spider - Heinrich Harrer.

Thats him. The Chuck Norris of mountain climbing. 

 

.....Okay, Didn't know he had passed on, but yeah, a seriously tough cookie for sure.

Edited October 7, 2016 by GrumpyOldGuy

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I used to live climbing and devour those climbing books.

 

Grumps; The Ruskie maybe Anatolii Boukerev; rip - wind blasted / avalanched off Annapurna or K2 I think.  The accounts of the guys that have climbed all the 8000m plus peaks are generally all good. Other seriously hard men include Doug Scott who retreated off some Himalayan peak with a broken leg.  Peter Hilary (Ed's lighty) also wrote a book about surviving a big accident.

 

Tumbles; another dot on the Joe Simpson i is to read "against the Wall" by Simon Yates who cut the rope.

 

Krakauer's Eiger Dreams also a reasonable read. Eish, try the White Spider - Heinrich Harrer.

Indeed, forgot about that, I read it as well, but I often wonder how on earth they got themselves into that mess, they were experienced climbers who made terrible mistakes.

[Kranswurm]

Into thin air also deals with that fateful expedition up Everest. There have been a few books written about that particular expedition and I have read three I think but the one that still rings most true to me is Jon's book. 

Another good one on that expedition is by a Russian climber I forget his name and the books name, I would need to go look, but he was a seriously tough cookie (some might say a nutter) who had climbed Everest a few times before without O2, anyway his recount of the story is also very good, I'll try find the details.

 

I thought the movie Into the Wild was superb, but the book is also excellent. There has been numerous stories about the validity of the book with many people saying Chris was a suicidal maniac and not a young man living life to its fullest. Hard to say, but his sister also wrote a book which I read as well called "The Wild Truth" where she admits to having consulted extensively with Jon when he wrote the book, but she also admits that she asked Jon not to comment on their family life which was to say the least violent and completely dysfunctional, she also admits to serious issues with alcohol, been romantically involved with questionable folk and been a young mother on the verge of bankruptcy and almost living on the streets.

 

She and Chris came from difficult backrounds.

 

However to her credit she managed to pull herself together, started a small car repair business (of all things ) and turned it into a roaring success story, so in all a nice ending to what I think was a difficult life for both.      

Boukreev