Mikeg posted a thread about books, and there was a film on More4 last night which reminded me about one of my favourite books - Touching the Void by Joe Simpson. Not seen the film yet but recorded it last night on my 'puter for watching later.

True story of a climbing trip in Peru which went wrong. Joe Simpson and Simon Yates attempting the unclimbed west face of Siula Grande and having a disasterous accident on the descent. What follows would be criticised for being too far fetched if it weren't true.

If you've not read this book yet, then get it and read it now. You don't need to be a climber to appreciate it.

Read the book and agree it is very good ...film stays very true to the book so you shouldn't be disappointed

Film is great - eventually watched it as I hadn't got round to reading book.

Mrs m was enthralled too and she isn't that much of an outdoor type let alone a climber.

If you did like the book then 'This Game of Ghosts' gives some more insight into more near death experiences from Joe Simpson.

Little bit harder to read if you're not into climbing though I guess, as it does reference lots of people like Al Rouse who, although very well known in climbing circles, you may not have heard of, and at times is a little more 'technical'. Great insight into climbing and climbers though.

This may sound pathetic but....

....after watching TTV I looked at buying another JS book but was partly put off by the excedingly cheap paper they were all printed on! - and not knowing which to choose and being grumpy that none were at reduced price.

Currently reading: "Trace" by Patricia Cornwell. Either a detective novel, or a defective one. Can't decide yet.

Was reading: "Quicksilver" and "The Confusion" by Neal Stephenson. Nearly 2000 words between the two books and it took nearly a month to plough through them. Recommended though.

Best book read this year: "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" by Mark Haddon.

well wouldn't know about the quality of the paper. My copy of 'game of ghosts' is a hardback from a climbing book club that I used to belong to (and finally managed to get out of!!!). If you can find a copy then its deffo worth a read if you liked TTV. He did write a novel as well, but apparently its pants. Bear in mind he's a climber not a novellist!

If climbing stories float your boat then Mick Fowler is also one to look out for. He's another one in the Joe Simpson mould - very bold climbing on new routes and so of course plenty of hairy stories. He used to work in London for the Inland Revenue during the week, then drive through the night to Scotland on a Friday to be on the Ice all day Saturday and Sunday before going back to work on Monday morning. Makes my weekends seem a bit limp!

How do you record telly on your 'puter?

Agree that 'Dog in Nightime' is excellent. It mentions the Monty Hall problem that was debated at length on here in the 'close season'! I also love the way that the chapter numbers are all Prime numbers, which fits in perfectly with the book. Really difficult subject to get right, but Haddon gets it about spot on for me.

Another book which is worth a read if you liked 'Dog' is The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks. It's a series of true short stories based on Dr Sacks experiences as a neurologist - full of people who don't recognise their own legs, or who think its still 1956. Really good book. He's the guy who wrote Awakenings (later made into a film with Bob DeNiro and Robin Williams).

Don't know Neal Stephenson - what sort of stuff is it?

I've got a mac, so its a piece of proverbial. Have a little matchbox sized gizmo on the back which connects to an aerial and receives Freeview. Can programme it to record on tvtv.co.uk up to 2 weeks in advance. It will even switch the mac on 5 minutes before a programme is due to start so that it can record! Files can then be put onto DVD, streamed to the TV, converted to MPEG 4 or used in Mac editing software. Can also use it like Sky+ to pause live tv.

Software and Hardware are by Elgato - called EyeTV. Not sure if available for PC but must be something similar. Think that if you have Windoze Media Edition it can also do the same - you would need a decent PC though. The required Mac spec would be equivalent to about a 3.6GHz pc chipset with 512Mb RAM and you would need at least an 80Gb HDD to make it worthwhile, but in reality 160Gb+ would be preferable.

Great stuff though, especially now they've released the Video iPod.

I have recently read all the 'Robot' series and 'Foundation' series novels by Issac Asimov and would recommend them to any Sci-Fi fan.
My favourite Sci-Fi read was the Gateway series by Fredrick Pohl.
If anyone has some other recommendations for a good read then let me know as I am out of material at the moment.

Continuing my quest to read all of John Irvings novels I'm onto the Cider House Rules now - possibly my favourite so far but all are so good that it's hard to seperate them.

Anyone read any of the Tales of the City books by Armistead Maupin? I've heard they're good and might give one a go next.

Read 1984 again after seeing the 'room 101' thread. Not read it for about 20 years and had forgotten just how good it is. Have to get hold of Animal Farm now as well - prob about 20 years since I read that as well.

Currently three-quarters of the way through "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell and have been thoroughly enjoying it. It's got a very unusual structure where a number of seemingly different stories are spread over continents and time.

Each story is in a different genre, e.g. detective, sci-fi, historical, etc., but they are linked, partly by a common theme about the "will to power". Some of the segments are a little hard to get to grips with but by the time you finish them, you're gripped and want to know more. I can't believe I left this sitting on my desk for months before finally starting it.

I enjoyed it too. Some bits went slow. Have to admit I was a tad disappointed by how little tie up there was between the 6 stories.

Cloud Atlas is on my Christmas list, along with Irvings Water Method man, Margrave of the Marshes (JP RIP) and Saturday by Iain McKewan.

Structure of Cloud Atlas sounds a bit like 'The Bridge' by Iain Banks - 3 seperate strands encompassing his later seperate personas of Sci Fi and contemporary thriller/drama. Not read it for a while, but seem to remember I struggled with the link between the threads, although did enjoy the book.

The Bridge was terrible (although I'm sure the Banks one with 3 stories you mean was a different, but equally crap, book. Shame as I've enjoyed some of his).

The Water Method Man is OK but not Irving's best (its a bit similar to Garp)

I recommend you add Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradburry to your list if you have enjoyed '84/farm

The Bridge is his best book! I know I'm in a minority with that opinion however. Espedair Street, The Wasp Factory and A Song of Stone are my other favourites from his non-genre fiction.

Think your right about the Bridge - the one I was referring to was Walking on Glass. Didn't like the bridge, but did like Walking on Glass, although not in the same league as Complicity, Crow Road or the Wasp factory. Worst one is 'a song of stone' - truly awful. I like some of the Iain M. Banks sci-fi stuff as well. Consider Phlebus and The Player of Games spring to mind.

Looks like we disgree on Song of Stone then!!

I loved The Wasp Factory and have liked some others. Not touched his sci-fi but really enjoyed his whisky / tour of Scotland / part biography thing.

I read 1984 in my teens and thoroughly enjoyed it. At the time I remember someone saying that if I enjoyed 1984 then I should read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, but I never did.

Anyone read it and is it any good?

Got this after reading 1984 20 odd years ago. Started but never finished - seem to remember it didn't really grab my attention as much as 1984.

sorry can't be of more help!

Strange how some Iain Banks books really appeal and others don't, and it changes from reader to reader. I enjoyed Walking on Glass (the one with three different stories interlinked) and I think Complicity is one of the best books I've ever read. But I hated the Wasp Factory.

Am currently reading Mark Haddon's Dog in the Night-time, which is astonishingly good; before that I read Dan Brown's Angels and Demons, which is a rollercoaster read with an entertaining but absurd plot; and before that I read Sebastian Faulks's haunting Birdsong, set in the WWI trenches. I'd recommend them all.

The best thriller writer I've read recently is Harlan Coben - check out Tell No One and especially Gone for Good. Rattling good reads.

The world and his brother must have read The DaVinci Code by now, but I've found his other books even better. Angels and Demons was my favorite, closely followed by Deception Point.
If you haven't read these, I recommend you do right away!

Agreed. Good reads.

Most enjoyable (and unique) book of the year for me was The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

Have also enjoyed reading Gervase Phinn's books retelling his experiences as a Schools Inspector in the Yorkshire Dales. If you're like me and from Yorkshire they will appeal.

Just finished that myself..great stuff.

Have read Dan Brown aswell..and loved both Angels and Demons and Deception Point. Not got round to Digital Fortress yet..which is apparently his weakest.
Going to read Mr Nice..Howard Marks..bit late on this one

I suppose it depends on what you mean by the 'series'. A couple of years ago I chose an Asimov book before going on hols, simply because I remember attempting to read one when I was about 8 and failing miserably.

I chose 'Prelude to Foundation' as this seemed to be the first in the series - prelude = first right ?

I really enjoyed this book, I couldn't put it down. Fantastic. So what did I do ? Yep, I went and brought all the others with 'Foundation' in the title.

I have since read the original 'Foundation'. It took two goes but eventually I got through it. To be honest, it wasn't that good. I felt very, very disappointed. The prelude was much better. I have not read any of the others.

Apparently you are meant to read the original trilogy before you even read the Prelude which was written as an afterthought. Perhaps this is why I didn't enjoy it.

I realy cant praise George R R Martin's 'Ice and Fire' series high enough. Fantasy, think medieval knights and characters that are absolutely brilliant, with a huge cast. First book 'a game of thrones'.

Fantastic!

If you liked the Da Vinci Code and the other Dan Brown books, then read the The Miracle Strain (reissued as Messiah Code) by Michael Cordy.

"Dr Tom Carter has invented the genescope, which can read a person's genes, their lifespan and their future from the DNA in just one hair follicle. When a genoscope scan reveals that his daughter, Holly, has an incurable brain disease, he turns to a secret brotherhood in the search for a miracle."