What book are you reading atm??

trashcan

Carry wrote: »

'Since we Fell' was my first book by Lehane I've read, it was indeed readable, but not memorable. The second was 'Shutter Island' - boy, that was a page turner with goosebumps and some sleepless nights, and a real surprise at the end. 'Mystic River' is still on the bedside pile.
.

Mystic River is, as I said, Lehanes masterpiece. Terrific book. Live By Night and World Gone By are excellent as well.

Carry

Noel Some Cornbread wrote: »

Back to some cold war spy books (fiction), any recommends? ~ I've read loads but I don't mind turning back the clock twenty years and doing them again.

John le Carré is unbeatable for cold war spy novels. But of course you know them all, I guess.

I enjoyed very much the Bernie Gunther novels by Philip Kerr. It's less spy more crime, with private eye Bernie Gunther, and starts in pre-war Berlin, goes through the war, post-war and cold war, across Europe and even Cuba, as far as I remember. The books touch all the politics of these times, with loads of spying thrown in.

There are 12 (?) novels with that hero and I enjoyed them very much.
Just checked on amazon and saw that the latest is out. Time is now 1956 and Bernie is still at it. Going to download it in a minute

arybvtcw0eolkf

Carry wrote: »

John le Carrs unbeatable for cold war spy novels. But of course you know them all, I guess.

I enjoyed very much the Bernie Gunther novels by Philip Kerr. It's less spy more crime, with private eye Bernie Gunther, and starts in pre-war Berlin, goes through the war, post-war and cold war, across Europe and even Cuba, as far as I remember. The books touch all the politics of these times, with loads of spying thrown in.

There are 12 (?) novels with that hero and I enjoyed them very much.
Just checked on amazon and saw that the latest is out. Time is now 1956 and Bernie is still at it. Going to download it in a minute

I've just turned back the clock by 25yrs and orders Forsyth's 'The Fourth Protocol, but I'll certainly keep your recommend in mind.

I know Fatherland is good, I can sense it but for some reason its failing to grab my imagination.

ben.schlomo

Noel Some Cornbread wrote: »

Quoting myself here, but I'm REALLY struggling with this book. After a month (I'd normally finish a book in a few evenings) I'm still waiting for this to capture my imagination.

Back to some cold war spy books (fiction), any recommends? ~ I've read loads but I don't mind turning back the clock twenty years and doing them again.

I remember finishing the last 100 or so pages for f that in a couple of hours years ago, loved it, and I'm not a hg reader.
Currently reading Gatekeepers, it's about the Whitehouse chiefs of staff from Nixon's onwards. Enjoyable.

arybvtcw0eolkf

ben.schlomo wrote: »

I remember finishing the last 100 or so pages for f that in a couple of hours years ago, loved it, and I'm not a hg reader..

The reason I'm sticking it out is some of the best books I've read were very slow burners, then BAM ~ they hit you right in sweet spot and they turn into an epic read.

Greyfox

Just finished reading Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, best book I've read in years, can't wait to read more of his work

Ipso

What about Graham Greene's spy stuff; Our man in Havana and The Third Man.

trashcan

Noel Some Cornbread wrote: »

Back to some cold war spy books (fiction), any recommends? ~ I've read loads but I don't mind turning back the clock twenty years and doing them again.

Have you read Len Deighton ? The Game Set and Match trilogy in particular is really good. The follow up Hook Line and Sinker trilogy was good too. There was a third trilogy with the same characters, Faith, Hope and Charity, but it was a step too far for me. There is also a Standalone book which is a prequel dealing with the rise of Nazi Germany called Winter. Superb book.

Dead To The World by Charlaine Harris

Barna77

Finished the last week Paul Preston's The Spanish Holocaust. An account of the Spanish Civil war, the social unrest that led to it, the atrocities on both sides, and Franco's brutal repression.
It was disturbing tom read some of the things that happened and I wasn't really aware of them. It's a war, and wars are what they are, but I didn't know the scale of murder and violence that went on.

optogirl

Just started 'The fractured life of Jimmy Dice' - good enough so far, no idea where it's going which I kind of like

Malari

Awakenings by Oliver Sacks.

I thought I had read it before, but now that I'm into it, I don't think I have! Just many similar.

mariaalice

I have taking to listing to pod casts of interesting lectures.

http://www.openculture.com/2016/11/umberto-eco-makes-a-list-of-the-14-common-features-of-fascism.html

I do like to have an actual book to read in bed though couldn't listen to a pod cast when going to sleep.

New Home

Malari wrote: »

Awakenings by Oliver Sacks.

I thought I had read it before, but now that I'm into it, I don't think I have! Just many similar.

It was made into a film with Robert De Niro and Robin Williams.

Malari

New Home wrote: »

It was made into a film with Robert De Niro and Robin Williams.

Yes, I know. It's a very famous book, and I've read many of Sacks' other writings but I seem to have missed this one

mariaalice

Barna77 wrote: »

Finished the last week Paul Preston's The Spanish Holocaust. An account of the Spanish Civil war, the social unrest that led to it, the atrocities on both sides, and Franco's brutal repression.
It was disturbing tom read some of the things that happened and I wasn't really aware of them. It's a war, and wars are what they are, but I didn't know the scale of murder and violence that went on.

You might find the film pan labyrinth interesting. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457430/

Barna77

mariaalice wrote: »

You might find the film pan labyrinth interesting. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457430/

Yep, saw it years ago. A good one.

Don't Wake Up by Liz Lawlor

kimokanto

Just finished The House of Silk, Anthony Horowitz. Sherlock Holmes re-imagined. Not a bad plot & very faithful to Conan Doyle's style. Enjoyable

BalcombeSt4

The Third Reich in Power - Richard J Evans.
Out of the Ashes - Robert W White
And Homeage to Catalonia.

Vojera

I'm reading The Deep End of the Sea, by Heather Lyons.

It's a retelling of Medusa's story, where she has been cursed by the Olympian gods. I like the story so far but it's desperately in need of a good editor. A few typos so far and the language could have been tidied up in a few places. It feels self-published. But the story is interesting so I'm going to work through it.

kodirl

How Champions Think-Bob Rotella

rushfan

Conclave by Robert Harris

Aglomerado

rushfan wrote: »

Conclave by Robert Harris

I loved that!

eviltwin

Good As You by Paul Flynn. Interesting history of LGBT rights in Britian from the 1960's on.

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

A Farewell to Arms by Hemingway.

diomed

The Melbourne Cup, complete history and statistics
by Maurice Cavanough and Meurig Davies (1971)

kfrp

Blood River - Tim Butcher

About a guy who travels the Congo river and how the area has changed since the Belgians left.

Very interesting read, many towns and villages went from having electricity and sewage to nothing. Schools and government gone.

No employment now just hand to mouth living and a very dangerous place to live and not a place that can be visited now.

https://www.tim-butcher.com/blood-river/

Dial Hard

Currently re-reading Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub but paid a little visit to Book Station on Saturday for something to read next.



I think I'll read The Princess Diarist first.

Rubberlegs

Dial Hard wrote: »

Currently re-reading Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub but paid a little visit to Book Station on Saturday for something to read next.

I plan on rereading all my Stephen King books at some point. Black House was brilliant, it is linked in some way to another book of his if I remember correctly, possibly The Talisman. At the moment I am very slowly reading Sleeping Beauties by King and his son. Too many good books and not enough time:(