You have to start somewhere - a list

[Benny]

I think I've read it....think. I've read hundreds of the things ranging from;

Semper Fi - management the marine corp way
Secrets of CEOs
7 habits
The 8th habit
All of Branson's books
Eat that frog
Giuliani's biog (very good)
Clintons biog
And a load of others I'll list when I get off the sofa and get near the bookcase.

I really enjoyed guiliani's book and wasn't expecting to.

I'm off to hunt for the parachute now, I'm sure I've got it somewhere!

[Penfold]

Which would you recommend from those you've read?

[Benny]

Depends what for really. I think everyone should read 7 Habits, but it's tough to make them stick. I liked all of Branson's but like Guiliani that's more of an enjoyable read than an eye opener. To be fair, Guiliani's has some good ideas in it that I've used.

Some good ideas in Semper Fi too, but depends on how many and the type of staff you have. I tend to cherry pick ideas from all. If you want management (which I know you don't need!) but I guess others may notice, check out manager tools podcasts, they are fantastic for those starting out.

If I was picking one? Assuming you'd read 7 habits, read Guiliani's biog, I'll check out which version I have, happy to post you it if you want a read?

[Benny]

Seems like the right place for this..
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/9715377/Why-second-hand-bookshops-are-just-my-type.html

[smilodon]

Seems like the right place for this..
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/9715377/Why-second-hand-bookshops-are-just-my-type.html

I'd still rather wander through the electronic shelves of Amazon, oh the sacrilege

[Benny]

Imagine, you read something else and it fires off a thought so blindingly obvious you feel stupid. I get lots of these.

So having read Gortex's review (thanks for that one) and it made perfect sense as to why I don't like LotR. An opus works must take ages to write. I struggle to retain track for the length of a forum post, so by extension it must be nigh on genius requirements to be able to focus and deliver a superb story over a mammoth length.

So, begging the question, are there any real doorstops that beg to be read? Based on your review Gortex I'll be skipping Bleak House until I have enough time to spare, that and I'm in a retirement home defecating in my clothes and expecting youngsters to wipe me up. I've paid my taxes you know.

[smilodon]

I'm no genius but I can get drawn into a very long story if that story grips me enough. LotR was a book that by all usual literary rules was wrong. it had to many protagonists, moved between them too frequently and left the main character, Frodo, out of the story for long periods during the middle of the narrative. Regardless it stands as one of the greatest pieces of modern literature IMHO. And it's actually the length, complexity and detail of the world and characters that makes the story so extraordinary, and the source of so much derivative work. So I'd argue it doesn't suffer at all from being a long book, or set of books. LotR is in fact six stories, produced in three volumes.

So my point is that a 'doorstop' is a subjective thing. If the world that your visiting and the characters that you meet are compelling then you'll read that story for as many books as the author writes. If you're not grabbed by the world, as you clearly were not by Middle Earth then getting to the end will be impossible.

However if you've not read through the three The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo books then you're a fool They are very much one story and you have to read them chronologically or the story won't make any sense at all.

Paul Austers New York Trilogy if you like detective novels with a weird edge to them. They can be found in a single huge volume as well.

I read The Bounty Trilogy ages ago when I was a kid. If you like historical seafaring tales these are pretty good, with lots of splice the mizzen mast and avast ye there type stuff.

But my favourite set of stories that can be read back to back as a single great doorstop read are James Elroy's L.A. Quartet They do feature different main characters but there is a common thread running through them with many characters that appear in several of the stories and as Noire detective stories go they're unbeatable.

[Penfold]

I never really got into loTR and never really understood the hype but hey ho.

For me, I've just read two new books to me:

1. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
2. Post Mortem by Patricia Cornwell.

I enjoyed both. They're not exactly the most intellectual reads but High Fidelity was a good 'bloke-ish' one and I certainly saw some of my own history in his relationship with women and it's a good read. Post Mortem was a random choice for me but I really enjoyed it. It's a thriller with a bit of Quincy thrown in for good measure.

I do agree that you have to be in the right mindset to read any of the 'classics'. I started Catcher in the Rye but was tired and not really paying attention so I dropped it in lieu of the more holiday ones above.

[Tutonic]

1. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

If you haven't seen it already, the film is excellent

[Benny]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/arts-post/post/book-buyers-confront-the-myth-of-choice/2012/12/20/ae36ab6c-4a5c-11e2-b6f0-e851e741d196_blog.html?tid=socialss

Looks like we're on the right track...

[smilodon]

Which leads on to a conversation (possibly not for this thread) about the problem with traditional publishers and why companies like Amazon might actually be a good thing for book reading as they allow authors to self publish without the huge cost involved in printing, binding and distributing thousands of hard copies of their stories. Online communities like Kindle Users forums etc allow publishers to engage with potential readers. It will mean authors like J.K.Rowling might not become multi millionaires but we'll get a much wider choice of reads. And so I agree that in a small way this forum and this thread probably encourage us to try new books and genres that we might not otherwise be exposed to.

[Benny]

I think I've read it....think. I've read hundreds of the things ranging from;

Semper Fi - management the marine corp way
Secrets of CEOs
7 habits
The 8th habit
All of Branson's books
Eat that frog
Giuliani's biog (very good)
Clintons biog
And a load of others I'll list when I get off the sofa and get near the bookcase.

I really enjoyed guiliani's book and wasn't expecting to.

I'm off to hunt for the parachute now, I'm sure I've got it somewhere!

Oh if you are going to read one 'guide' I recommend 'goal' by Goldratt. It is superb. (Sorry forgot )

[Gortex]

I have just finished reading The Great Gatsby which Benny started with and will give my review on it very soon.

Strangely after having just read the book I have come across an advert for a movie that is due for released in the new year based on it.
 
http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/blink-ll-miss-green-easter-egg-great-gatsby-183050379.html

Have now started the novel Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell and am loving it already. This will be a hit I predict unless it gets rubbish later.

[Benny]

Ooh, I really liked 1984, well written and the pacing is almost perfect for me, enjoy.

I'll append your review to the thread entry of Gatsby once you post it up, looking forward to someone else's opinion!

[smilodon]

Almost done with Treasure Island, we've made it to the 'Island' just need to find the 'Treasure'.