This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

Joe_ Public

Xofpod wrote: »

Reading After the Lockout by Darran McCann, also very timely given the centenary of the Rising. I heard nothing about it at the time of release but it's shaping up to be an excellent read.

Not heard of it or the author to be honest. Interesting topic so will definitely check it out.

Fathom

The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Bradley

Wyldwood

Finishing Helen Dunmore's The Betrayal which is the sequel to The Siege set in the early 1940s in Lenningrad.
I knew nothing about the siege but these books, although fiction, depict such a horrific event that I am now reading actual historical accounts.

Callan57

Took The Old Man and the Sea off my "much loved" shelf yesterday & really enjoyed rereading it .... such a master!!!!

Now it's back to The Red Book

Fathom

Invasion Year, by Lambdin

Xofpod

The Dinner, by Herman Koch. Sat in my To Be Read pile for a long time, finally picked it up cos it was the right size to fit in my pocket and very happy with the choice so far, 50 pages in.

Aenaes

I forgot to update this. I finished The Well And The Mine, it seemed to finish abruptly because there was still quite a few pages left at the back of the book. Still, it was a nicely told story.

I read The Blue Hammer by Ross Macdonald. It's part of the "Lew Archer" series, a private investigator in California. He takes on a case about a missing painting but things aren't what they seem. I had never heard of Lew Archer before but I would read more of them.

Anyway, I've starting Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.

eire4

Finished a re read of Anne Rice's Taltos the concluding book in her Mayfair witches chronicles and like the others before it this is again a sweeping historical tale taking us through history right up to today or 1994 in the case of this book when it was written:)

Gonzovision

Finished a couple of books this week. Have taken a break form non-fiction for a while and thought I'd read a few crime/thrillers.

First up was 'The Hollow Man' by Oliver Harris, it's the first book in his detective Nick Belsey series. It started off quite promising, decent writing, some nice character development but about half way through it became cliched, your typical detective novel. Somewhat disappointing but I still may read the second one as I found the main character quite interesting, on his journey to self destruction.

Finally got around to reading 'Career of Evil' by Robert Gailbraith. I enjoyed the first book, but wasn't overly taken with 'The Silkworm', the story didn't do it for me. I have to say I really enjoyed most of this one. Even if the story is well trodden at this stage, there's something about Rowlings writing that I quite enjoy. Will continue reading the series as the books are released.

And finally I read 'The Dinner' by Herman Koch. I have to say it is one of the worst books I have ever read. Absolute contrived rubbish. I know the narrator was intended to be an ass, but it really put me off from the outset. I never bought into the story, it just felt overly staged, to elicit a reaction from the reader. I felt nothing (ironic I suppose). Couldn't wait to get it finished.

I think next up for me is 'Burma 44' by James Holland. Hopefully up to the standard of his previous WW2 books.

Swiper the fox

Gonzovision wrote: »

And finally I read 'The Dinner' by Herman Koch. I have to say it is one of the worst books I have ever read. Absolute contrived rubbish. I know the narrator was intended to be an ass, but it really put me off from the outset. I never bought into the story, it just felt overly staged, to elicit a reaction from the reader. I felt nothing (ironic I suppose). Couldn't wait to get it finished.

I think next up for me is 'Burma 44' by James Holland. Hopefully up to the standard of his previous WW2 books.

I actually really liked 'the dinner', I've been tempted to read his latest book for a while.
I don't think I posted about finishing The Mark and the Void, God it was hard work, some very funny scenes but quite painful on the whole, not a patch on Skippy Dies, I'm currently reading Trainspotting, I'm almost sure I read it when it came out but I can't say for sure:pac:

Joe_ Public

Swiper the fox wrote: »

I actually really liked 'the dinner', I've been tempted to read his latest book for a while.
I don't think I posted about finishing The Mark and the Void, God it was hard work, some very funny scenes but quite painful on the whole, not a patch on Skippy Dies, I'm currently reading Trainspotting, I'm almost sure I read it when it came out but I can't say for sure:pac:

I remember reading Eileen Battersby's slaughtering of The Mark and the Void in the Times and thinking, god she sounds a bit OTT there, almost as if it was personal. Then I read the book and thought she wasn't hard enough.

Swiper the fox

Joe_ Public wrote: »

I remember reading Eileen Battersby's slaughtering of The Mark and the Void in the Times and thinking, god she sounds a bit OTT there, almost as if it was personal. Then I read the book and thought she wasn't hard enough.

It was hard work but few passages were among the funniest I have ever read in any book, I had tears in my eyes when the Russian sidekick fella was involved, he was an incredible character.

Joe_ Public

Swiper the fox wrote: »

It was hard work but few passages were among the funniest I have ever read in any book, I had tears in my eyes when the Russian sidekick fella was involved, he was an incredible character.

I wouldn't go as far as saying funniest ever, but there are some funny moments alright. The Paul character is so outrageously absurd that he veers violently from being funny to being just patently daft almost from page to page. The plot is so thin, though, that I doubt even Flann O'Brien-standard comedy could have rescued it.

Callan57

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Xofpod

Gonzovision wrote: »

Finished a couple of books this week. Have taken a break form non-fiction for a while and thought I'd read a few crime/thrillers.

First up was 'The Hollow Man' by Oliver Harris, it's the first book in his detective Nick Belsey series. It started off quite promising, decent writing, some nice character development but about half way through it became cliched, your typical detective novel. Somewhat disappointing but I still may read the second one as I found the main character quite interesting, on his journey to self destruction.

Finally got around to reading 'Career of Evil' by Robert Gailbraith. I enjoyed the first book, but wasn't overly taken with 'The Silkworm', the story didn't do it for me. I have to say I really enjoyed most of this one. Even if the story is well trodden at this stage, there's something about Rowlings writing that I quite enjoy. Will continue reading the series as the books are released.

And finally I read 'The Dinner' by Herman Koch. I have to say it is one of the worst books I have ever read. Absolute contrived rubbish. I know the narrator was intended to be an ass, but it really put me off from the outset. I never bought into the story, it just felt overly staged, to elicit a reaction from the reader. I felt nothing (ironic I suppose). Couldn't wait to get it finished.

I think next up for me is 'Burma 44' by James Holland. Hopefully up to the standard of his previous WW2 books.

I'm reserving final comment until I finish The Dinner but still enjoying it at the halfway mark. Got sidetracked by Submission, by Michel Houllebecq.

Joe_ Public

Iris Murdoch, The Sea, The Sea. Over 70 pages in. Gripped.

Fathom

Girl that kicked hornets nest, by S Larrson

heathledgerlove

Wind in the Willows, the parts with Toad are side-splitting !

eire4

Finished a re read of Bram Stoker's horror classic Dracula. Given the novel was written in 1897 it is interesting although obviously to be expected how the victorian attitudes in particular towards the women in the novel are very marked.

Swiper the fox

eire4 wrote: »

Finished a re read of Bram Stoker's horror classic Dracula. Given the novel was written in 1897 it is interesting although obviously to be expected how the victorian attitudes in particular towards the women in the novel are very marked.

1897, was that the last time you read a book for the first time:pac:

Loafing Oaf

A History of London by Stephen Inwood

Nearly halfway through the 1,000+ pages

eire4

Swiper the fox wrote: »

1897, was that the last time you read a book for the first time:pac:

Hahha I like it. The answer by the time I finish though will actually be about 5 years!!!

Birneybau

Finished 'I Am Pilgrim' , I don't know how many times an author can finish a chapter with the same cliffhanger 'It was something I'd regret forever', 'Little did I know...'. Execrable.

I'm going to read 'Ruthless' by Ron Miscavige, son of the head of Scientology David Miscavige, next. About getting out of that cult and what happened inside. Having read (and highly recommend 'Going Clear'), I'm looking forward to it.

Fathom

Steal the Computer Book 4.0, by Wang.

Callan57

Finally, finished A Little Life last night ... very repetitive & IMO would have benefited from a culling of 200 pages

Not it's on to The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

Fathom

The Silmarillion by J. Tolkien

Callan57

Upstairs at the Party by Linda Grant

Xofpod

Young Skins by Colin Barrett.

Xofpod

Also, read and loved Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill.

ahlookit

Xofpod wrote: »

Young Skins by Colin Barrett.

What was that like? Heard him reading at Electric Picnic last year and meant to look him up after that, but forgot about it until your post just reminded me