Go! spend your Amazon vouchers
January 10th, 2008 by expatinspirerExpat inspirers love books - writing and reading them - and so I thought it might be good to share some of the expat books I have just enjoyed reading …
All you blokes will just love two books by Aussie-Brit rig worker, Paul Carter. Called ‘Don’t Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs she thinks I’m a piano-player in a whorehouse’ and ‘This is not a Drill - just another day in the oilfield’, these two will have you laughing out loud on the train, tube, cyclepath or however you get to work. ‘Mum’ is a great read for all the family over 12 years old - full of high jinx mostly concerning alcohol and problems with your nether-regions. ‘Drill’ is really one for the boys only - but has a great story about illicit smoking. Bet you didn’t think I’d recommend that kind of book, did you? Take a look here.
And then, last night, I finished Planet Germany by Cathy Dobson. The story tells the tale of a year in the life of a British family and three kids now into their 15th year near Dusseldorf. If you want to find out what Germans are really like and ensure that you time your next trip to coincide with another festival (or excuse to get hammered!) look no further. It’s Cathy’s first novel and is extremely well written, so dip in and learn about Dr Bier, why dachshunds can be lethal and gain insights into their unwieldy ‘lego language’ at the same time.
So guys, what, on the theme of expat books, are you spending your Amazon vouchers on?
Well I didn’t get any Amazon vouchers for xmas but we did sell a few photo gift vouchers ourselves over at Fabulous Photo Gifts and the first one was redeemed just yesterday - a tea tray that’s had a smashing wedding photograph added to it.
I’m just reading Stark by Ben Elton - got as far as the bit where the tycoon chappie is ordering swan but being served cat! lol.
Jonathan (aka Purple13)
No Amazon vouchers for me either. Because I already knew what I wanted from Amazon: The Doctor Who Series 3 box set!
Yipee.
But that’s not a book is it.
So books …
Books I would recommend are:
The Swap by Antony Moore
A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday
Remainder by Tom Mccarthy
@
A Thousand Splendid Suns or The Kite Runner both by Khaled Hosseini
There you go that should keep you busy!
If you want to know what they are about, or want to read an interview by me with Antony Moore drop by my ickle blog!
Chow
just saw the ‘kite runner’ at the flicks … very sad film, and yet hopeful & uplifting in that bittersweet way - think i’m easily played emotionally, push the right buttons and all of a sudden the air is filled with grit and it’s slipped annoyingly into my eyes again.
look fwd to reading the book
I bought Spot of Bother too - and can’t wait to read it.
Can you tell me what The Swap and Remainder are like? It’s good to know a bit more
and I ADORE Khaled Hosseini and have read them both avidly and with adoration.
Boy, I love reading!
Just finished another Roddy Doyle book, The Van and thoroughly enjoyed it if that counts as expat is an Irish way!
Anyone recommend any good Oirish reading?
Massive fan of Roddy Doyle Sarah, The Barrytown trilogy is brilliant.
er not Maeve Binchy I presume?
I think you should narrow the area of discussion: Amazon vouchers to be spent on expat books leaves it wide open; may as well choose your favourite grain of sand in the desert.
Sarah: big fan of Roddy Doyle. Read ‘Paddy Clarke Ha, Ha, Ha’ ages ago and went on a RD odyssey: went on to read his loose Barrytown trilogy ‘The Van’, ‘The Commitments’ & ‘The Nipper’; also’ Star Called Henry’; ‘The Woman Who walked into Doors’ and have the sequel ‘Paula Spencer’ sitting on my shelf (slowed down after my initial explosion bombing thro’ his writing). All great reads, good writer.
Mike: just read Mark Haddon’s ‘A spot of bother’ - v gd, but preferred his previous ‘Curious Incident of the dog in the night’, very clever & captured the mind and internal voice of an Asperger’s sufferer brilliantly.
Did get some Amazon vouchers, but blew them on in paying for a shiny new snowboard - those cab9s are mine for the taking on that beaut.
Nothing to do with expats (well actually it is, but can make tenuous links wherever you want, if you want) but just finished ‘Human Traces’ by Sebastian Faulks. Great novel and some fascinating ideas on human cognisance, language and schizophrenia all wrapped in the lives and emotions of 2 families evolving stories.
I’m a big Sabastian Faulks fan Jon, Birdsong being one of my all time favourite books (didn’t appreciate Human Traces as much)
The new James Bond one should be er, interesting.
OD’B even.
Even O’DB
Now I look like some kind of sycophant, didn’t read your post about the Barrytown trilogy until I had posted mine, honest.
O’DB:
I agree Spot of Bother was good, but not as good as Dog.
http://mike-french.blogspot.com/2007/10/mike-recommends-spot-of-bother.html
and I have quoted you here O’DB on The Kite Runner:
http://mike-french.blogspot.com/2008/01/mike-at-movies-kite-runner.html
Mike - like your review.
Also read the Antony Moore interview on your site, looks like it’s a full time job for you? Very slick site, like it.
Currently reading Russell Brands autobiog and the book that Buzzing Agne sent me (how clever am I reading 2 books at once)
The one book I did request for Xmas was The Bang Bang Club
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bang-bang-Club-Making-South-Africa/dp/009928149X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199997187&sr=1-1
didn’t get it though but will be my next purchase. An incredible book by all accounts.
yea, just heard about Sebastian Faulks writing a new James Bond, should be good.
caught over reading Russel Brand’s ‘My Booky Wook’ - listen to his R2 podcasts and think he’s a funny fella, verbose in a good way, but can be solipsistic and so up his own *rse to make you wish he’d leave his head up there from time to time.
Just read that Russell Brand’s Booky Wook was the top seller at Xmas! Is it worth it?
How wonderful to read this! Wow!
So glad you enjoyed Planet Germany! Thanks for the feedback… lovely!
Good to see you hear, Cathy!
I’ll second that, welcome Cathy! I’m inspired to read your book now…
Thanks Mel - I do hope you enjoy it!
How cool -the author sends me a note here, thats as good as a book signing
Welcome to flowers Cathy.
I am into the books by Alexander McCall Smith based on the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency in Botswana.
Just about to read the 5th book in the series - “In the Company of Cheerful Ladies”
Well, with Alexander MCall Smith I read the first one, started drinking Redbush tea - decided all the novels were more of the same but stuck with the tea! Green Redbush is my favourite.
I had just had the intensely dissatisfying experience of reading ‘The Cell’ by Colin Forbes. Seriously, this guy even makes Clive Cussler look incisive and cutting edge.
I would urge you to all buy and read this just to see how truly lucky you are to have other wonderful books and to truly test your powers of resolve, I almost threw it away several times but I had to force myself to finish it to see if it remained awful all the way through.
The plot is loose, characters weak and one dimensional. The story line goes nowhere fast and frankly I am staggered it got published.
Truly the worst read I’ve ever had, including childrens books.
The other book I read on the flight was The Skin Gods by Richard Montanari, a reasonable book, good plot and pretty entertaining - thats what happens when the shop only has a choice of three Western books or the collected works of Mao in Chinese.
On the flight back I read Driving Big Davie by Colin Bateman. Quite a good read from the lad from Northern Ireland, it was described as being similar to Hiaasen’s work and that was a pretty accurate description, nice read for a flight.
I would read Russell Brand’s book but I find him a self centred, unfunny prick and to be honest the only thing I’d like to do with his book is liquidise it and feed it to him through a straw once I’ve knocked his teeth out.
GIC how do you find the time for thi sreading with your car exec job, is it when you travel, just wondering?
Yep, when I’m on the plane. Should get through a few more next week. Got to go to Nagoya and Hiroshima so plenty of time on the plane and also the bullet train. In fact, as I come back via Shanghai I’ll also get to use their Maglev from Pudong to the city and back to Pudong. Not sure which is the most awesome feat of engineering and organistion, hmm I can feel a post coming on.
Most of my blogging is done in meetings during the translation and ensuing 10 minute debate amongst my oriental colleagues.
Great depth of readers here..
Jim here, reading SHAM ‘ How the gurus of the self-help movement make us helpless’ by Steve Salerno hacing recently finishing ‘The swap; as recommnded by Mike French above - welll worth a read!
Em reading Diplomatic baggage ‘ The adventures of a trailing spouse’ by Brigid Keenan (a woman who moves from Lonson to live in Nepal)
Birdsong is a classic no doubt.
**O’DB - you still reading any of Banks stuff?**
I read Banks stuff, get a statement every month from them.
Ha! I’m back into my Jilly Cooper phase at the mo.
Must be the horses…
http://www.jillycooper.co.uk/
BRigid Keenan is the keynote at the Shell Spouse conference here in the Hague in April - I wonder if she is any good? I thought her book was ooookaaaay, but not brilliant. What do you think, Em?
nah, no Iain Banks for ages. After my OCD run on The Wasp Factory/The Crow Road/Whit/Complicity i went a bit stale. He haas a cpl of news ones so might pick them up.
Excellent idea for a post and thanks for the suggestions. I’ll definitely look them up.