War and Peace

The great secret by E Philips Oppenheim
Now completed. A tale of an upper class English gentleman who stumbles on a secret that could change the world. And could also bring him great danger.
This read is best described like an early James Bond style story complete with the beautiful rich lady and intrigued across several nations.



Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

An interesting short story which starts the first paragraph as below.
I shall leave the rest of the story to your imagination â?¦.

One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered that in bed he had been changed into a monstrous verminous bug.
He lay on his armour hard back and saw, as he lifted his head up a little, his brown, arched abdomen divided up into rigid bow like sections. From this height the blanket, just about ready to slide off completely, could hardly stay in place. His numerous legs, flickered helplessly before his eyes.


My current reading is book by Samual Butler entitled The way of the flesh
700 plus pages based in the 18th century I am presently only on the opening pages but the promise of a good read.

 

I'm re-reading A Short History of Byzantium by John Julius Norwich. Want to get the full history - 3 volumes long....

 

Have nearly finished James Michener's Hawaii quite an epic (in length)
unlike Centennial I don't think I will read it twice.

 

I had to give up on "The great secret"..
I just found it so uninteresting
The day the earth stood still was my next read.
Made into a film awhile back and a entertaining short story.

I was going to read James Michener's Hawaii but for some reason the text is to small on my ebook and I need to format the pdf text file somehow before I can attempt that mighty book.

So..My current read is the gripping story "The hunt for Red October" by Tom Clancy.
Im sure you know this was made into a movie with Sean Connery as Captain Marko Ramius.
Also released as a video game.

 

A descent into the Maelstrom by Edgar Allen Poe might be worth a quick shufty Capney, very exciting short story.

 

Noted Claire.. thankyou
robert

 

Let`s hope you enjoy more than my last recommendation.

 

"The hunt for Red October" now finished and what a read that was!
Had me hooked on my ebook for hours.
I remember the film was very gripping as was the book.
9/10 for Tom Clancy

While in the undersea mode my next read is going to be The Cruel Sea
by Nicholas Monsarret
robert

 

Read the Edgar Allen Poe one first-it`s about a sea voyage and will only take you one night in total Capney I promise

 

Okedoke... I shall do a search to see if its available to download as an ebook
robert

 

"The mountain trembled to its very base, and the rock rocked. I threw myself upon my face, and clung to the scant herbage in an excess of nervous agitation."
Claire..
A descent into the Maelstrom by Edgar Allen Poe

Found it on the www and have just finished it..
A good read which exercises the grey matter to have dizzy spells..
Moral at the end of this tale is never to be without your barrel!
You will have to read it to understand to what I am referring.
8/10
robert

 

I told you it wouldn`t take long-and wow what a read. You don`t start it and then put it down do you? It`s a magnificent short story.

 

The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarret
Now finished.
I urge everyone to read this book.
Especially the younger members of our forum.
The story of two Royal Navy ships and about 150 men.
A story of the torments, both physical, socially and mentally they had to suffer
during those long hard years during world war two in the Atlantic Ocean with the
U boats destroying the Atlantic conveys.
30,000 seaman died, 3000 ships lost and 750 U boats sunk.
This is a 10/10 from me and to repeat, i urge everyone to read this book for an understanding of our modern history and the torments our forefathers experienced to give us our country as we know it today.

Empire of the sun is next by JG Ballard
robert

 

Blimey, this thread is going on a bit, a bit like.... :D

 

Just like War and Peace Freddy.. it goes on and on and on......

Anyway, I have finished Empire of the sun by JG Ballard
and, unusually I have to say having seen the movie I think the film is the better for telling the very visual story.

I have started reading Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller.
More of this later..