Recommend A Book For Kirk

[Charlie Reams]

Kirk doesn't read books because he doesn't know about them, and he doesn't know about them because he doesn't read them. The objective of this thread is to break this cycle and to thereby convince him that life isn't all about scoring points on quizzes.

So, recommend a book and explain why you think he would like it. For bonus points, lend him a copy.

I'm expecting at least 99% of the comments in this thread to be "jokes" from Derek Hazell, but other contributions are also welcome.

[Darren Carter]

Purely for comedic value

[Michael Wallace]

I haven't read it, but the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is meant to be alright, plus it has maths in it, so maybe that's a good thing.

Actually, he might find the penguin book of curious and interesting numbers fun (I have a copy, it is quite fun), but that's probably not the sort of book you were after.

I'm trying to think of some good light reading type books; you don't want to get stuck on long ones first time around. Come to think of it Graham Greene's Ministry of Fear is quite short, and quite fun. Also he could try the first Harry Potter (I mean, they're not great, but they're readable, and he might find he likes it and want to read the rest).

[Phil Makepeace]

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk is fairly short. He can then double up by watching the film and hopefully recognise Brad Pitt this time around.

[Michael Wallace]

Oh, Brokeback Mountain is really short, come to think of it. I think I read it when it came free with a newspaper once.

[Kirk Bevins]

Post away but reading fiction is boring. If I wanted to imagine something, I'll do it myself without looking into another reader's imagination.

I'm up for reading books that are interesting though, like the first suggestion of the Darts Bible.

I won £500 worth of books and still have them in my room - untouched after about 3 years. The incident ....dog..night time (that one) was amongst the list but I don't like reading.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/savings-an ... page_id=52

There's actually the mail on sunday site which has my picture and a few of the books but I can't seem to find it any more. The list of books I won is on that above link at the bottom of the page - the 50 that the paper suggests not the 50 that the reader suggests.

[Jon O'Neill]

I haven't read it, but the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is meant to be alright, plus it has maths in it, so maybe that's a good thing.

[Alec Rivers]

Post away but reading fiction is boring.

If it's non-fiction you want, Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson is a cracking read about the English language. I've read it three times already.

[Ben Hunter]

Post away but reading fiction is boring. If I wanted to imagine something, I'll do it myself without looking into another reader's imagination.

If your imagination is more vivid and interesting than JRR Tolkein's or Will Self's then fair point, if not then your own arrogance is making you miss out on a lot.

[Marc Meakin]

Who's Who

[Michael Wallace]

Post away but reading fiction is boring.

If you fancy non-fiction what about the Da Vinci Code?

yes that is a fucking joke

[Ian Volante]

Baudolino by Umberto Eco. It is fiction, although it's based around an interesting period of history involving the Holy Roman Empire and the sacking of Byzantium, and becomes an allegory for various strains of Christian philosophy.

It was a good story which opened up various avenues of further learning for me, which to my mind is fiction with a bonus.

Otherwise, hasn't Andy Fordham just released an autobiography?

[Phil Reynolds]

I haven't read it, but the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is meant to be alright, plus it has maths in it, so maybe that's a good thing.

It's considerably better than all right! Other relatively recent books that have made a big impact on me and which I'd recommend wholeheartedly (not to Kirk obviously as he won't read them, but to anyone who understands what an enriching experience a good book can be) include The Book Thief, The Kite Runner and its even more devastating successor A Thousand Splendid Suns, and The Other Hand.

Going slightly further back in time, the six Tales of the City novels by Armistead Maupin have a special place on my bookshelf and in my heart - they changed the way I look at the world and at other people, and I re-read them all once every five years or so just to get a reminder of how life should be lived.

Ben Elton is always good for a funny and thought-provoking read - I'd especially recommend The First Casualty, Blind Faith (which, as a satire on our celebrity-obsessed culture among other things, even Kirk might get a kick out of) and High Society which begins by making an unassailable, cast-iron case for why all drug use should be decriminalised, and then spends the rest of the book showing why it will never happen.

Some recent much-hyped books that have been major disappointments include The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian.

Last but not least, I'd have to recommend both of these, purely because my name is inside them.

[Marc Meakin]

The life of Pi and Trainspotting

[Charlie Reams]

This is meant to be a book for Kirk, not just a list of your favourite books. Personally I'd rather eat my own hand than read any more Harry Potter, but they're more likely to appeal to someone who hasn't read much than, say...

Baudolino by Umberto Eco. It is fiction, although it's based around an interesting period of history involving the Holy Roman Empire and the sacking of Byzantium, and becomes an allegory for various strains of Christian philosophy.

[David Williams]

I used to have awful trouble persuading myself to study. I could spend days not studying, and this was before the internet. But somehow it got into my mind whenever I was reading a book that I should be studying instead, and I've never quite shaken off that feeling. So I read very little, which I regret. Don't make the same mistake, Kirk.

I have, however, read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Relevant.

[Kirk Bevins]

I used to have awful trouble persuading myself to study. I could spend days not studying, and this was before the internet. But somehow it got into my mind whenever I was reading a book that I should be studying instead, and I've never quite shaken off that feeling. So I read very little, which I regret. Don't make the same mistake, Kirk.

I have, however, read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Relevant.

Why was it a mistake David? I don't enjoy reading - it takes too long and is quite boring. I remember reading short stories at school and I was an excellent reader - trouble was, when the teacher asked me what I'd just read I'd have no idea.

[Charlie Reams]

I remember reading short stories at school and I was an excellent reader - trouble was, when the teacher asked me what I'd just read I'd have no idea.

I'm pretty sure there's a word for readers like that, and it's not "excellent".

[Ian Volante]

This is meant to be a book for Kirk, not just a list of your favourite books. Personally I'd rather eat my own hand than read any more Harry Potter, but they're more likely to appeal to someone who hasn't read much than, say...

Baudolino by Umberto Eco. It is fiction, although it's based around an interesting period of history involving the Holy Roman Empire and the sacking of Byzantium, and becomes an allegory for various strains of Christian philosophy.

Okay, so it's a challenging read, but I was aiming for something that's not simply a "happy ever after" type thing, and may entail further reading and thoughts.

I could just have suggested The Hungry Caterpillar if an easy read is what we're looking for here.

[Marc Meakin]

This is meant to be a book for Kirk, not just a list of your favourite books. Personally I'd rather eat my own hand than read any more Harry Potter, but they're more likely to appeal to someone who hasn't read much than, say...

Baudolino by Umberto Eco. It is fiction, although it's based around an interesting period of history involving the Holy Roman Empire and the sacking of Byzantium, and becomes an allegory for various strains of Christian philosophy.

Okay, so it's a challenging read, but I was aiming for something that's not simply a "happy ever after" type thing, and may entail further reading and thoughts.

I could just have suggested The Hungry Caterpillar if an easy read is what we're looking for here.

I wouldn't recommend that due to the holes in the plot

[Kai Laddiman]

I could just have suggested The Hungry Caterpillar if an easy read is what we're looking for here.

Which, for Kirk, is a children's book about a caterpillar (played by Brad Pitt) who is constantly hungry.

[Ben Hunter]

Brad Pitt

Can't put a face to the name I'm afraid.

[David Williams]

I used to have awful trouble persuading myself to study. I could spend days not studying, and this was before the internet. But somehow it got into my mind whenever I was reading a book that I should be studying instead, and I've never quite shaken off that feeling. So I read very little, which I regret. Don't make the same mistake, Kirk.

I have, however, read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Relevant.

Why was it a mistake David? I don't enjoy reading - it takes too long and is quite boring. I remember reading short stories at school and I was an excellent reader - trouble was, when the teacher asked me what I'd just read I'd have no idea.

If you start with the mindset that something will be boring, boring it will be. If you can't remember what you've just read, you're not doing it right.

[Charlie Reams]

Okay, so it's a challenging read, but I was aiming for something that's not simply a "happy ever after" type thing, and may entail further reading and thoughts.

I could just have suggested The Hungry Caterpillar if an easy read is what we're looking for here.

It's not that it's challenging (although that doesn't help) but I'm going to venture that allegories for Christian theology probably aren't quite to Kirk's taste.

[George Jenkins]

I used to have awful trouble persuading myself to study. I could spend days not studying, and this was before the internet. But somehow it got into my mind whenever I was reading a book that I should be studying instead, and I've never quite shaken off that feeling. So I read very little, which I regret. Don't make the same mistake, Kirk.

I have, however, read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Relevant.

Why was it a mistake David? I don't enjoy reading - it takes too long and is quite boring. I remember reading short stories at school and I was an excellent reader - trouble was, when the teacher asked me what I'd just read I'd have no idea.

Kirk, when I read a book, I don't just read the words. I have a picture in my mind and it's like watching a film or play. the characters come alive, especially if they were described by the author. If you can't convert the words into scenes of action, I can understand why you find reading words is boring.

[Eoin Monaghan]

I haven't read it, but the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is meant to be alright, plus it has maths in it, so maybe that's a good thing.

Actually, he might find the penguin book of curious and interesting numbers fun (I have a copy, it is quite fun), but that's probably not the sort of book you were after.

I'm trying to think of some good light reading type books; you don't want to get stuck on long ones first time around. Come to think of it Graham Greene's Ministry of Fear is quite short, and quite fun. Also he could try the first Harry Potter (I mean, they're not great, but they're readable, and he might find he likes it and want to read the rest).

Curious Incident of the Dead Dog in the NIght time is a brilliant book, as well as maths there is a lot of swear words in it. And puzzles like the Monty Hall problem.

[Phil Reynolds]

Curious Incident of the Dead Dog in the NIght time

OMG SPOILERZ

[Ian Volante]

Okay, so it's a challenging read, but I was aiming for something that's not simply a "happy ever after" type thing, and may entail further reading and thoughts.

I could just have suggested The Hungry Caterpillar if an easy read is what we're looking for here.

It's not that it's challenging (although that doesn't help) but I'm going to venture that allegories for Christian theology probably aren't quite to Kirk's taste.

Aye maybe so. It just springs to mind as it's an area I don't know much about, and I'm interested in plugging gaps in my knowledge, so obviously everyone else wants to do that as well.

[Gavin Chipper]

I could just have suggested The Hungry Caterpillar if an easy read is what we're looking for here.

I wouldn't recommend that due to the holes in the plot

This.

[Ian Volante]

I could just have suggested The Hungry Caterpillar if an easy read is what we're looking for here.

I wouldn't recommend that due to the holes in the plot

This.

Indeed!

[Dinos Sfyris]

^Applaud! Further evidence that we need a "like" button for epic posts

I could just have suggested The Hungry Caterpillar if an easy read is what we're looking for here.

Which, for Kirk, is a children's book about a caterpillar (played by Brad Pitt) who is constantly hungry.

[Jon Corby]

I can relate to a lot of what Kirk is saying; I never ever read novels anymore - like Kirk, if I try, I find myself pretty much just proofreading the novel but not really taking it in as a story - and I find responses like George's above common ("you don't see the whole thing playing out in your head? Build images of the characters/scenes?" etc) and utterly baffling.

However I do differ in that I feel I'm missing out, it's a deficiency of mine and certainly not something to be particularly proud of!

(I like watching films though.)

[Derek Hazell]

I'm expecting at least 99% of the comments in this thread to be "jokes" from Derek Hazell, but other contributions are also welcome.

Sorry to "disappoint", but I can't do "jokes" about books, as they're my bread and butter.

[Phil Reynolds]

Yet again, a topic discussed on Countdown seems spookily relevant to one of that day's threads on the message board. I'm betting Kirk would enjoy the book mentioned by Penny Smith.

[Ian Volante]

I can relate to a lot of what Kirk is saying; I never ever read novels anymore - like Kirk, if I try, I find myself pretty much just proofreading the novel but not really taking it in as a story - and I find responses like George's above common ("you don't see the whole thing playing out in your head? Build images of the characters/scenes?" etc) and utterly baffling.

I do love reading novels, but I don't subscribe to the image in head theory. I sort of instinctively know what characters looks like for example, but I couldn't describe them if asked. I do however get a feel for where the action is happening, and if I ever see a film version of a book I've read, their vision usually grates badly with mine.

A recent discovery I've made is that books set in places I know (Edinburgh for Brookmyre and Ian Rankin for example) have an extra level of enjoyment, although I'm not sure why that familiarity helps.

One of the things I love about my favourite novels is a confounding of my expectations, so strange twisting of plots and locations such as Jasper Fforde's alternative vision of the real world and the literary world really does it for me.

Then again, I have the sort of brain that can switch off and enjoy the simplest of premises - I'm awful at predicting the outcome to a story which makes them all the better for me.

[Kirk Bevins]

Yet again, a topic discussed on Countdown seems spookily relevant to one of that day's threads on the message board. I'm betting Kirk would enjoy the book mentioned by Penny Smith.

Now that looks like a good read.

[David O'Donnell]

My recommendation for Kirk would be Fermat's Last Theorem by Simon Singh. It's essentially a non-fiction work detailing Andrew Wiles attempt(s) to solve the theorem that had eluded the finest minds for 350 years.

However, it's also a brief history of number theory coupled with bios of interesting mathematicians (particularly riveting are those of Galois and Taniyama). Also, the style of writing lends itself to fiction thus offering Kirkie a bridge to the world of fiction.

If that doesn't tickle his fancy then there also several maths problems included as well as some that remain unsolved giving Kirkie some inspiration to make his mark on the mathematical community.

PS I am willing to lend this book to Kirk.

[Kirk Bevins]

My recommendation for Kirk would be Fermat's Last Theorem by Simon Singh. It's essentially a non-fiction work detailing Andrew Wiles attempt(s) to solve the theorem that had eluded the finest minds for 350 years.

However, it's also a brief history of number theory coupled with bios of interesting mathematicians (particularly riveting are those of Galois and Taniyama). Also, the style of writing lends itself to fiction thus offering Kirkie a bridge to the world of fiction.

If that doesn't tickle his fancy then there also several maths problems included as well as some that remain unsolved giving Kirkie some inspiration to make his mark on the mathematical community.

PS I am willing to lend this book to Kirk.

I have that somewhere - on page 52 (ish, from memory) is pi to like 1500 decimal places and I first used this to help me memorise several digits of it.

I will not be making any mathematical mark - Charlie has ribbed me for long enough regarding my mathematical knowledge for me to have any confidence in it.

[Martin Bishop]

I can relate to a lot of what Kirk is saying; I never ever read novels anymore - like Kirk, if I try, I find myself pretty much just proofreading the novel but not really taking it in as a story - and I find responses like George's above common ("you don't see the whole thing playing out in your head? Build images of the characters/scenes?" etc) and utterly baffling.

I do love reading novels, but I don't subscribe to the image in head theory. I sort of instinctively know what characters looks like for example, but I couldn't describe them if asked. I do however get a feel for where the action is happening, and if I ever see a film version of a book I've read, their vision usually grates badly with mine.

A recent discovery I've made is that books set in places I know (Edinburgh for Brookmyre and Ian Rankin for example) have an extra level of enjoyment, although I'm not sure why that familiarity helps.

One of the things I love about my favourite novels is a confounding of my expectations, so strange twisting of plots and locations such as Jasper Fforde's alternative vision of the real world and the literary world really does it for me.

Then again, I have the sort of brain that can switch off and enjoy the simplest of premises - I'm awful at predicting the outcome to a story which makes them all the better for me.

I'm the same way. Most of the time I give leading characters in novels the same generic face and, unless a setting has some distinctive characteristic, I imagine the action taking place in my house. When reading a period piece I remove the TVs and computers, though.

I'll echo the praise for The Curious Incident.... It's heartwarming, funny and has maths stuff in it.

Another book I enjoyed recently is Stephen Fry's The Hippopotamus. The main character of Ted is an over-drinking, cantankerous old sod who was once a great poet and uses such imaginatively filthy language. He also doesn't require the use of my generic man face. It's one of the funniest books I've read and provides a weirdly interesting story along the way.

[Gavin Chipper]

I can relate to a lot of what Kirk is saying; I never ever read novels anymore - like Kirk, if I try, I find myself pretty much just proofreading the novel but not really taking it in as a story - and I find responses like George's above common ("you don't see the whole thing playing out in your head? Build images of the characters/scenes?" etc) and utterly baffling.

However I do differ in that I feel I'm missing out, it's a deficiency of mine and certainly not something to be particularly proud of!

(I like watching films though.)

I'm sort of the opposite. I don't actually read that many books, but I can enjoy them. But when I watch a film I normally think "this is over-hyped shit".

[Julie T]

I recommend 'The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy' by the late Douglas Adams.

I loved this, and the sequels, when I was jaded by literature by having to read it for school. So it must be good!
Helped by the awesome BBC Radio 4 adaptations I used to eagerly look forward to, but the books are also clever and hysterically funny.
I was never that keen on the TV version, and even less so on the movie (pictures much better on radio and all that).

Most of my kids have read and loved them too.
There are omnibus editions, but if you've never read one before, then maybe you'd want to start with the first.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hitchhikers-Gui ... 0330258648

Douglas Adams being deceased, Eoin Colfer has just written a sixth instalment, although I haven't read it yet. My eldest has asked me for ideas of what to buy me for my birthday, and I reckon this will be it:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Thing-D ... 096&sr=1-1

[Phil Reynolds]

I recommend 'The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy' by the late Douglas Adams.

Helped by the awesome BBC Radio 4 adaptations I used to eagerly look forward to

This is a surprisingly common misconception. The books were of course adapted from the radio series, not the other way around.

[Ian Volante]

I recommend 'The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy' by the late Douglas Adams.

Helped by the awesome BBC Radio 4 adaptations I used to eagerly look forward to

This is a surprisingly common misconception. The books were of course adapted from the radio series, not the other way around.

I thought it was clear that the radio series came first, given the differences between it and the books. Are the books regarded as canonical these days?

I'm interested to see how Colfer has resurrected the characters after Adams utterly destroyed their existence and any possibility thereof. Probably something to do with mice.

[Phil Reynolds]

Are the books regarded as canonical these days?

The trouble (using the word with extreme looseness) with HHGG is that unlike, say, Doctor Who or Star Trek, there is no canon. Douglas seemed to take almost wilful glee in making each new incarnation of the story for a different medium irreconcilably contradict all the others. But the one undeniable claim held by the original radio scripts is that they came first.

[Ian Volante]

Are the books regarded as canonical these days?

The trouble (using the word with extreme looseness) with HHGG is that unlike, say, Doctor Who or Star Trek, there is no canon. Douglas seemed to take almost wilful glee in making each new incarnation of the story for a different medium irreconcilably contradict all the others. But the one undeniable claim held by the original radio scripts is that they came first.

That makes sense

[Mike Brown]

I recommend 'The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy' by the late Douglas Adams.

I'd agree with this. I didn't read that much fiction as a child, but decided to read the Hitchhiker's books while at uni. I have to say that the first two are by far the best (IMO), being largely based on the original radio series. The other thing I'd say is: don't be put off by the fact that they are sci-fi - they're quite unlike almost every other books of the genre that I've ever come across, in terms of the amount and type of the humour they contain.

I also think there's nothing quite like losing yourself in a book; it's so much more rewarding than watching films - because you have to use your imagination you end up with your own unique experience at the end of it (they also typically last longer). I was surprised to read that Kirk finds the process quite so boring, but then that's his prerogrative. After all, most people would be bored by this forum.

Come on Kirk, give it another try!!

[Allan Harmer]

I would suggest 'The Power - My Autobiography' by Phil (The Power Taylor).

Reading about someone you admire is always a good way to get into books and I would imagine that he has a few interesting and funny anecdotes to relate.

I wouldn't mind it for Xmas myself

[Julie T]

I recommend 'The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy' by the late Douglas Adams.

Helped by the awesome BBC Radio 4 adaptations I used to eagerly look forward to

This is a surprisingly common misconception. The books were of course adapted from the radio series, not the other way around.

Ah. The book came out in 1979, and I listened to the radio shows in 1980 and beyond. Must've been repeats.

Both are still bloody good, whichever way around they came!

I would suggest 'The Power - My Autobiography' by Phil (The Power Taylor).

Reading about someone you admire is always a good way to get into books and I would imagine that he has a few interesting and funny anecdotes to relate.

I wouldn't mind it for Xmas myself

Heck, my second son kept that under his hat. So that's what he's been doing with all that time on his computer.
Nice to know he's admired, although I didn't think he'd done enough yet in his 19 years to write an autobiography.

Oh, wait! You must mean another Phil Taylor!
Mine doesn't play darts.