Which book are you currently reading?

Mike Harding · Guru

Which book are you currently reading?

villatranquilla · Guru

have just discovered 'Peter Watt' - Australian equivalent of Wilbur Smith. Writes about our early history, adventure, love, sex, family loyalties and sadly the destruction of indigenous life.

The Belmont Bear · Guru

Hi Mike, ever since I was a young boy I have been an avid reader of adventure stories - The Gorilla Hunters, The Coral Island, Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn even the Biggles books got me hooked. Once I would read a book in a day or 2 now I read a chapter before I go to sleep just as a way of clearing the mind.

Last night I finished reading a novel by Lee Child in the Jack Reacher series called Never Go Back, by coincidence I happened to see that it was being advertised on Foxtel as a pay per view movie so I had better not give away the storyline. I'm just as comfortable reading non fiction as fiction, I don't really care which it is just as long as it keeps me interested, when travelling I can put up with not having TV or internet but I can't put up with not having a good book to read.

BB

The Belmont Bear · Guru

Hi Villatranquilla, if you like Wilbur Smith and his stories about Africa try reading Tony Park an Aussie who also writes very good novels that are set in that part of the world.

-- Edited by The Belmont Bear on Monday 13th of March 2017 06:16:54 AM

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

Interesting to see the different genre that people read -

Me - White Politics and Black Australians by Scott Bennett

and also A Voice of Reason - Reflections on Australia by Ian Lowe.

I only read non-fiction .. and prefer biographies and/or autobiographies ... but historical/geographical/political books are my main reading material.

Cheers - John

Happywanderer · The Master

I have just finished reading "The Girl with the Pearl Earring" based in the 1600's I think Holland. About a painter and the maid of the house.
Just about to start "Secret of the Sands" by Sara Sheridan.
Have read all of Wilbur Smiths.
Now going through Judy Nunn's work and also Di Morrisey whenever I can find them.
Have also enjoyed a few Japanese books from the 1800's. Very different.

ballast2 · Guru

G'day. I love Peter Watt. Makes me feel like I was there.
Cheers.

ballast2 · Guru

G'day. I love Peter Watt. Makes me feel like I was there.
Cheers.

MOLLUSCAN · Senior Member

I'm reading Penelope, Bungles to Broome by Tim Bowden following his journey from Sydney to the Kimberley and through WA. I like his style, amusing and easy to read. I'm writing down all the places I'd like to see in preparation for our next trip in July. I think this topic is a great idea as a Sticky.

Travel Bug · Guru

I have just finished "Barbed Wire And Roses" by Peter Yeldham. It's an historical fiction book set in WW1. Very well researched and written.

Before that I read "Maralinga" by Judy Nunn. A great read.

"A Man's Got To Have A Hobby". by William McInnes. It's a funny autobiographical tale of him growing up in Brisbane.

I am just about to read "Two Old Fools On A Camel" by Victoria Twead. An autobiographical tale of two English retirees who set off to teach in Bahrain for a year.

I am enjoying learning about what everyone else is reading.

Ooops! Typo. biggrin

-- Edited by Travel Bug on Monday 13th of March 2017 01:44:32 AM

Lancelot Link · Senior Member

Terry Pratchett, rest his soul in peace, fun and enjoyment in every book! A great advocate for euthanasia for sick people, succumbed to Alzheimers and we will never have the witch singing about the use of the wizards staff again! Nor will we have the invention of vegemite tied in with the hunt of the missing stallion from the man from snowy river. We will never have the Night Watch led by Vimes married to Sybil who keeps dragons. The vampire who is photographer for the paper who wears a vial of blood around his neck because the flash of his camera causes him to turn to ashes, the vial breaks and brings him back to life.
Love the Disc World series.

sandsmere · Guru

Did the Charles Dickens, Edgar Alan Poe, Mark Twain stuff way back when.

went through a period of Sci-Fi.

Have done the Wilbur Smiths.

These days it's just escapism stuff. Dean Koonts, Lynda La Plante, Minnete Walters, Lee Childs, Harlan Corben, Jeffrey Deaver, Robert Crais, David Baldacci,

Val McDermid . That sort of stuff.

Desert Dweller · Guru

Rod Stewarts autobiography at the moment followed by Elton Johns.

Recent reads have been the autobiographies of Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townsend, Eric Clapton, Ron Wood, John Fogarty, Peter Garret, Phil Collins, Tom Jones, Keith Richards & Richard Branson.

Do I love music, yes?

newhorizons · Senior Member

Currently reading "One Life- My Mother's Story" by Kate Grenville.
This is a great read by a talented author, hard to put down. Makes me grateful to be living in these times as women had (at best) very few choices. Kate's mother always intended to write it herself but never did, but did leave lots of notes which she put together.
I do read fiction as well. NH.

Possum3 · Guru

Robert G Barrett's Goodoo Goodoo. Picked it up today at Salvo's (My preferred Library).

I have read most of his novels - His character is Les Norton a knock-about Sydney sider - Easy to read larrikin mystery's with a little local nostalgia.

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Have been reading a book about Epi Genetics - the theory of we are what our ancestors were - i.e - a genetic malfunction can skip several generations, and appear seemingly out of the blue - very interesting reading. Will look for more on the subject.

villatranquilla · Guru

rockylizard wrote:
Gday...
Interesting to see the different genre that people read -
Me - White Politics and Black Australians by Scott Bennett
and also A Voice of Reason - Reflections on Australia by Ian Lowe.
I only read non-fiction .. and prefer biographies and/or autobiographies ... but historical/geographical/political books are my main reading material.
Cheers - John

John, try and get hold of 'Jackson's Track' by Daryl Tonkin - an amazing true story of aboriginal life in West Gippsland - one of the best books I have ever read.

-- Edited by villatranquilla on Monday 13th of March 2017 11:14:01 PM

villatranquilla · Guru

Thanks Belmont Bear

warhorse · Senior Member

me,pretty much anything these days, fed up with the rubbish on tv, current book is 'balance of power' by Richard North Patterson, fiction

meetoo · Guru

Just started the Potato Factory, the first in a series of 3 by Bryce Courtenay.

Cheers, John.

rockylizard · Guru

villatranquilla wrote:
John, try and get hold of 'Jackson's Track' by Daryl Tonkin - an amazing true story of aboriginal life in West Gippsland - one of the best books I have ever read.

Gday...

An excellent referral ... that is a very good book.

I first read that many years ago ... late 90s from memory ... and have revisited it a couple of times.

Thanks for the reminder.

It is books such as Jackson's Track that I particularly like. Biographies/autobiographies by people and about people, that are "ordinary folk". Mostly these "ordinary folk" are incredible in how they lived their lives.

Cheers - John

villatranquilla · Guru

rockylizard wrote:
villatranquilla wrote:
John, try and get hold of 'Jackson's Track' by Daryl Tonkin - an amazing true story of aboriginal life in West Gippsland - one of the best books I have ever read.
Gday...
An excellent referral ... that is a very good book.
I first read that many years ago ... late 90s from memory ... and have revisited it a couple of times.
Thanks for the reminder.
It is books such as Jackson's Track that I particularly like. Biographies/autobiographies by people and about people, that are "ordinary folk". Mostly these "ordinary folk" are incredible in how they lived their lives.
Cheers - John

did you know there is also a sequel written by his daughter? - think it's called Jackson's Track re-visited

Tony Bev · Guru

Just finished reading

The men who came out of the ground, written by Paul Cleary

The book was loaned to me by a younger friend, as his Grandfather was mentioned in the book

It is about the first intake of 2/2 Independent Company Commandos in Timor in 1942, when all the rest of the troops surrendered, these Australians kept fighting

Very interesting to me, as my father in law was in the second intake of the above Commandos

I can read just about anything, and my library is usually the Salvos, or a book stall in a market somewhere

Travel Bug · Guru

meetoo wrote:
Just started the Potato Factory, the first in a series of 3 by Bryce Courtenay.
Cheers, John.

Hi John,

I'm sure that you will enjoy this book. It is high on my list of the best books that I have ever read.

Having said that...I thought that the TV adaptation was dreadful.

Cheers.

Travel Bug · Guru

villatranquilla wrote:
rockylizard wrote:
Gday...
Interesting to see the different genre that people read -
Me - White Politics and Black Australians by Scott Bennett
and also A Voice of Reason - Reflections on Australia by Ian Lowe.
I only read non-fiction .. and prefer biographies and/or autobiographies ... but historical/geographical/political books are my main reading material.
Cheers - John
_____________________

John, try and get hold of 'Jackson's Track' by Daryl Tonkin - an amazing true story of aboriginal life in West Gippsland - one of the best books I have ever read.

-- Edited by villatranquilla on Monday 13th of March 2017 11:14:01 PM

John, A Voice of Reason - Reflections on Australia is a great book.

villatranquilla, Jackson's Track is another great read.

I don't know whether either of you have read it but a book that might interest you is "A Secret Country" by John Pilger.

Cheers.

rockylizard · Guru

villatranquilla wrote:
did you know there is also a sequel written by his daughter? - think it's called Jackson's Track re-visited

Gday...

yep ... did that'n too

Carolyn Landon is an oral historian, and has a Masters degree in biography and life writing from Monash University. She is co-author of Cups with No Handles (2008) with Bette, Gina and Les Boyanton, and co-author with Eileen Harrison of the memoir Black Swan (2011). Her book Jackson's Track Revisited (2006) tells the story behind the original memoir.

I have also read her other books. Great Strayan stories.

Cheers - John

Kisha · Senior Member

Hi Mike, I'm enjoying one of my old favourites. Readers Digest The Home Handyman's Helpful Hints. I'm attempting to install 2 window frames and windows. Great book for a Jill of all trades....Kisha

Tony Bev · Guru

Travel Bug wrote:
meetoo wrote:
Just started the Potato Factory, the first in a series of 3 by Bryce Courtenay.
Cheers, John.
Hi John,
I'm sure that you will enjoy this book. It is high on my list of the best books that I have ever read.
Having said that...I thought that the TV adaptation was dreadful.

Cheers.

I think that I have read all of Bryce Courtenay books, and had enjoyed all of them except, April Fools Day.

This book was a bit too sad for me, as I was led to believe that it was about his own son

Trevor law · Senior Member

Best book that I and my wife have read is Washer woman's dream by Hilarie Lindsay,life story of Winifred Steger

Kantiki · Senior Member

I will read basically any book I can get my hands on. All my sons love Game of Thrones. Asked youngest if i could borrow his boxed set. He was happy to lend them with a word of caution "mum its full of sex, nudity and incest".
Well ive been around for a long time so what the heck.
I loved them. Couldnt put them down. Loved them so much I decided to buy the dvds. Hubby buys them for my birthday but I can only watch them on weekends with him because he's also hooked. Maybe not for everyone but if you love fiction, sci fi, magic and political intrigue, could be worth a read. Of course the books are better because no amount of cgi can better our imagination.

-- Edited by Kantiki on Thursday 16th of March 2017 12:22:33 PM