This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

Callan57

Belle E. Flops wrote: »

I read that earlier this year after reading about what a 'masterpiece' it is. I absolutely hated it.

Now you've cheered me no end ... I've started so I'll finish :rolleyes:

Belle E. Flops

Callan57 wrote: »

Now you've cheered me no end ... I've started so I'll finish :rolleyes:

You might love it. It just didn't do it for me.
Different strokes and all that

eire4

Finished Thomas Martin's Ancient Greece which is basically a concise overview of ancient Greek history.

That_Guy

Just finished reading 'All Fall Down' by Tom Bale. It was ok. I enjoyed the final third but I didn't warm to any of the characters despite the perils they found themselves in.

Ending felt a bit rushed and all too neatly wrapped up given the circumstances the characters were subjected to.

The description of the book led me to believe that there was an incredible twist to be had but it felt like a really lazy "twist" and one that was lazily thrown in. There would have been several better options to go with and this just felt tacked on and needless in the grand scheme of things.

Writing was decent enough but I'm not entirely sure if I'd be rushing out to buy another of Bale's books in a hurry.

Joe_ Public

Callan57 wrote: »

Now you've cheered me no end ... I've started so I'll finish :rolleyes:

I think it will be worth it. The Ginger Man is one of my favourite Irish, or Irish-themed novels, only The Butcher Boy or a couple of McGahern's rival it in the last 50 years imho.

Birneybau

Belle E. Flops wrote: »

I read 'We have always lived in the castle' by Shirley Jackson after reading some great reviews. It was grand, but it was nothing special. It was short but I think if it had been much longer I wouldn't have bothered finishing it.

I've put 'Northanger Abbey' by Jane Austen on hold for the time being and I'm starting 'It' by Stephen King, it being the season and all. 'Carrie' is the only King I've read so far, so I'm looking forward to this.

It's a big old book, reading it myself, half way through, 600 pages so far...

ahlookit

Belle E. Flops wrote: »

I read 'We have always lived in the castle' by Shirley Jackson after reading some great reviews. It was grand, but it was nothing special. It was short but I think if it had been much longer I wouldn't have bothered finishing it.

I've put 'Northanger Abbey' by Jane Austen on hold for the time being and I'm starting 'It' by Stephen King, it being the season and all. 'Carrie' is the only King I've read so far, so I'm looking forward to this.

Birneybau wrote: »

It's a big old book, reading it myself, half way through, 600 pages so far...

Read It years ago (probably mid 90s) and loved it. The TV adaptation was horrendously bad as far as I recall.

If you like It, try 11/22/63 also by Stephen King. Without going into any detail, there's a nice little connection between the two.

Birneybau

ahlookit wrote: »

Read It years ago (probably mid 90s) and loved it. The TV adaptation was horrendously bad as far as I recall.

If you like It, try 11/22/63 also by Stephen King. Without going into any detail, there's a nice little connection between the two.

Reboot:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_(2017_film)

http://www.cosmicbooknews.com/content/first-look-pennywise-clown-new-it-2017-movie

Callan57

Finished The Ginger Man ... it was OK, quite enjoyed the first half but the second half I found repetitive and tedious reading to be honest.

Anyway next is a book highly recommended by a reading buddy I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

Fathom

Saturn Run
by John Sandford

Callan57

Finished I'm Thinking of Ending Things ... very original & I loved it even if I'm still not sure what was going on.

Next is Verdict of the Court by Cora Harrison

Callan57

The Man Without a Shadow by Joyce Carol Oates

lizzylad84

Ten men dead.

OwaynOTT

ahlookit wrote: »

I think it was the only book I had to read in secondary school that I really enjoyed...will be interesting to see what you make of it...

Ah yeah, some parts of the book were disturbing for sure in its depiction of how savage some people can be when rules and order break down. And how difficult it can be to enforce order.
While I found it to be a good book, I sometimes found it difficult to follow, as in who was saying what and in some parts the transition between scenes was jumbled.
It definitely has a lot more depth to it than more modern dystopian novels.

Fathom

The Harbinger
by Jon Cahn

ahlookit

OwaynOTT wrote: »

Ah yeah, some parts of the book were disturbing for sure in its depiction of how savage some people can be when rules and order break down. And how difficult it can be to enforce order.
While I found it to be a good book, I sometimes found it difficult to follow, as in who was saying what and in some parts the transition between scenes was jumbled.
It definitely has a lot more depth to it than more modern dystopian novels.

Must read it again and see if its as good as I remember

Speaking of dystopian novels, finally finished The Twelve, book two of The Passage trilogy by Justin Cronin. Its another epic (750 odd pages) and that's my main problem with it....some sections just drag on way too long. The story is good though, and he's clearly a talented writer. Book two carries on from the end of the first book, and maintains the twin timelines. A US military sponsored experiment in present day creates a master breed of twelve vampires, who go on a rampage, infecting the North American continent. The main part of the story is set 100 years in the future, as a band of survivors try to live in what remains of America and do battle with the "dracs"...


I've started on the final installment now, City of Mirrors, which almost counts as a short story in relation to the first two, only weighing in at 620 pages.

Kurtosis

ahlookit wrote: »

Must read it again and see if its as good as I remember

Speaking of dystopian novels, finally finished The Twelve, book two of The Passage trilogy by Justin Cronin. Its another epic (750 odd pages) and that's my main problem with it....some sections just drag on way too long. The story is good though, and he's clearly a talented writer. Book two carries on from the end of the first book, and maintains the twin timelines. A US military sponsored experiment in present day creates a master breed of twelve vampires, who go on a rampage, infecting the North American continent. The main part of the story is set 100 years in the future, as a band of survivors try to live in what remains of America and do battle with the "dracs"...


I've started on the final installment now, City of Mirrors, which almost counts as a short story in relation to the first two, only weighing in at 620 pages.

I'm reading The Passage at the moment on Kindle, didn't realise it was such a monster in terms of page count, that explains why it's so slow making progress through it despite me really enjoying it!

eire4

Finished A Champions Story by Mark Henderson which is about Neil Lennon's first title winning season as Celtic manager in 2012.

Xofpod

The Sellout, Paul Beatty. Pretty good but not sure it lives up to the hype.

Xofpod

penguin88 wrote: »

I'm reading The Passage at the moment on Kindle, didn't realise it was such a monster in terms of page count, that explains why it's so slow making progress through it despite me really enjoying it!

I have the first two books in the pile to be read. Highly recommended to me by several people.

Callan57

Finished The Man Without a Shadow by Joyce Carol Oates .... superb

Next is In A Glass Darkly by Sheridan LeFanu

Callan57

Finished The Man Without a Shadow by Joyce Carol Oates .... superb

Next is In A Glass Darkly by Sheridan LeFanu

Fathom

The Discourses on Livy
by Niccolò Machiavelli

eire4

Finished Peter Wells The Battle that stopped Rome about the battle of Teutoburg Forest in 9ce where a confederation of Germanic tribes wiped out 3 Roman legions.

SarahBM

Just read part two of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in one go, at 2am. Loved it!!! I think after about 3 or 4 weeks I have got my reading groove back!

I'm almost halfway through Jess Walter's Beautiful Ruins, which I've been meaning to read for ages.

Excellent book! Love the settings, and it's the first laugh-out-loud book I've read since David Sedaris's Me Talk Pretty One Day.

The thing is, even though Beautiful Ruins can be specacularly funny, it doesn't try too hard to be funny. The humour is always a bit grim, if not downright black. It's full of loneliness, and missed opportunity, I get the sense it will all end terribly sadly, and (somehow) hilariously. But I'm only on page 150 and I don't want it to end.

OwaynOTT

The Sellout by that Beatty chap.

Xofpod

Signs preceding the end of the world, Yuri Herrera

Callan57

Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin

bobbyss

Has anyone taken on Boswell's Life of Johnson ? And Trollope's BarChester series?