This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

Wyldwood · 18-03-2017 10:42AM

Finished reading Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin. Loved it, she has a great way of telling a story. Very different from her dystopian novels, which I also loved.
Now on to Sebastian Barry's Days Without End, hope it lives up to the hype.

Xofpod · 20-03-2017 11:14AM

Finally finished Sapiens by Yuri Noah Harari, which I was dipping into while I read other stuff. Absolutely fascinating - I should have given it my full attention from the start. It is absolutely crammed full of interesting ideas and theories; I didn't necessarily agree with all of them but it made for an invigorating read.

ahlookit · 20-03-2017 01:04PM

Enjoyed Denis Lehane's Live By Night, so now reading the sequel World Gone By. Promising start.

Birneybau · 20-03-2017 02:14PM

Having recently finished Donal Ryan's 'All We Shall Know' (ok, grim) and 'Carrie' by Stephen King (fantastic, quick read), started 'The Underground Railroad' by Colson Whitehead which is flipping fantastic so far!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Underground_Railroad_(novel)

Xofpod · 22-03-2017 11:18AM

Seán Óg Ó hAilpín's autobiography. Pure daecent.

Combined with a viewing of The Young Offenders for maximum Corkness.

eire4 · 25-03-2017 08:28PM

Finished Tim Pat Coogan's Ireland Since The Rising published in 1966 it is a very interesting read going through the different chapters knowing what did happen over the following years. He had an optimistic take for the most part without being blind but certainly on some topics such as say religion his optimism proved to sadly be misplaced.

zyanya · 26-03-2017 12:36PM

Ken Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". Good book so far.

Callan57 · 26-03-2017 12:58PM

Starting Twelve Bar Blues by Patrick Neate

Wyldwood · 27-03-2017 06:43PM

Finished Days Without End and it's an incredible read, didn't want it to end. Every human emotion is in there and the narrative style of telling the story is hugely successful, kept the interest going right to the end. Westerns aren't normally my thing but I got seriously invested in all the characters in spite of some gruelling scenes. Sebastian Barry deserves all the accolades for this brilliant book.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 27-03-2017 07:48PM

I read A Girl is A Half Formed Thing over the weekend. Don't really get the mad praise this got when released. It's alright but I didn't find it life changing, as one of the cover quotes suggest I would.

Joe_ Public · 27-03-2017 07:55PM

zyanya wrote: »

Ken Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". Good book so far.

As much as I love the film, I think I prefer the novel as the Chief's narration lends it a whole new dimension. A stonewall classic in my opinion.

Joe_ Public · 27-03-2017 08:02PM

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I read A Girl is A Half Formed Thing over the weekend. Don't really get the mad praise this got when released. It's alright but I didn't find it life changing, as one of the cover quotes suggest I would.

I would be in the same boat myself, and find it a little bit irritating how often the author references Joyce in interviews, as if she is some kind of second coming of the mad genius. I understand it's a trying environment for publishing, but the relentless hype of certain authors can be a turn-off sometimes.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 27-03-2017 09:12PM

Joe_ Public wrote: »

I would be in the same boat myself, and find it a little bit irritating how often the author references Joyce in interviews, as if she is some kind of second coming of the mad genius. I understand it's a trying environment for publishing, but the relentless hype of certain authors can be a turn-off sometimes.

I haven't seen/read anything from the author herself but I remember my twitter feed being full of praise for it about a year or so ago.

Callan57 · 27-03-2017 09:31PM

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I read A Girl is A Half Formed Thing over the weekend. Don't really get the mad praise this got when released. It's alright but I didn't find it life changing, as one of the cover quotes suggest I would.

I don't know about "life changing" but I really loved the book ... thoroughly enjoyed it.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 27-03-2017 09:40PM

Callan57 wrote: »

I don't know about "life changing" but I really loved the book ... thoroughly enjoyed it.

This is at the very top of the book, before the title even.

"A virtuosic debut: subversive, passionate, and darkly alchemical. Read it and be changed." - Elanor Catton, author of The Luminaries.

They're just setting the readers up for disappointment with that.

It's definitely not the worst thing I've ever read, it's not even the worst "stream of consciousness" style book I've read. Just didn't live up to the hype for me.

Question

Did she kill herself at the end?

Fathom · 27-03-2017 09:41PM

Big Little Lies
By Liane Moriarty

Birneybau · 28-03-2017 01:28PM

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

This is at the very top of the book, before the title even.

They're just setting the readers up for disappointment with that.

It's definitely not the worst thing I've ever read, it's not even the worst "stream of consciousness" style book I've read. Just didn't live up to the hype for me.

Question
Did she kill herself at the end?

Have you read 'The Luminaries' by Elenor Catton? The biggest, longest piece of literature I've yet read.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 28-03-2017 01:41PM

Birneybau wrote: »

Have you read 'The Luminaries' by Elenor Catton? The biggest, longest piece of literature I've yet read.

I thought you were going to say piece of something else there

Haven't read it. I remember it getting a lot of hype too. I'm staying away from very long books these days. Previous experience tells me they're rarely worth it.

Noveight · 28-03-2017 01:52PM

Reading through John B Keane's The Field this week. Can't help but remember the late John Hurt as Bird O'Donnell, a match made in heaven!

Birneybau · 29-03-2017 12:54PM

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I thought you were going to say piece of something else there

Haven't read it. I remember it getting a lot of hype too. I'm staying away from very long books these days. Previous experience tells me they're rarely worth it.

Dang, I honestly thought I did. I fcuking hated it, dragged my @rse over the finish line.

I meant to type sh!terature. Too late to edit now.

Arghus · 29-03-2017 01:23PM

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I thought you were going to say piece of something else there

Haven't read it. I remember it getting a lot of hype too. I'm staying away from very long books these days. Previous experience tells me they're rarely worth it.

Tried twice to finish it. Obviously she's a good writer, with a gift for writing detailed historical recreation with interesting characters, but the novel was a total overhyped drag, with a needlessly convoluted plot that wasn't - in my opinion - ultimately worth the effort.

marienbad · 30-03-2017 02:28PM

Just finished Iron Gustav a Berlin Family Chronicle by Hans Fallada - following the fortunes of a family from 1916 until 1933 . A quite brilliant book and adds to an understanding of

The Vanquished ,Why The First World War Failed to End ,1917-1923 by Robert Gerwarth .

Reading the two simultaneously really does broaden the understanding of the period .

And just to keep the home fires burning

Occasions Of Sin ,Sex & Society In Modern Ireland by Diarmaid Ferriter covering the period from 1845 up to 2005 .

A real hodge podge of a book , I found it difficult to get to grips with the way it is laid out as it seems to jump all over the place . A bit weak on the 19th century stuff but comes into its own with the 20th century .

Certainly destroys any smug notions of ourselves as the '' island of saints and scholars '' as it is an unrelenting litany of callousness towards children and women in particular where infanticide ,back street abortion , child rape were as common as muck . Topical reading in light of the 8th amendment issues . He covers the whole island also which gives us a North South perspective also .

Next up

The Transformation of Ireland 1900- 2000 by Diarmaid Ferriter and Hopefully I can find a novel to go with it .

Fathom · 30-03-2017 10:42PM

The Shack
by William Paul

Callan57 · 31-03-2017 09:10PM

Finished Twelve Bar Blues ... really, really loved it

Now it's The Hurley Maker's Son by Patrick Deeley (€5 with an Irish Times this morning)

PMBC · 02-04-2017 11:35AM

Read 'When Breath Becomes Air' by David Kalanithi yesterday. It's a sad, poignant, thought provoking story and a good read but not brilliant, as critics saw it, imho.
Half way through Norman Mailer's novel about Gary Gimore 'The EXECUTIONER'S SONG' and I don't know what to make of it. Got it because I'm going through a war novels/true stories thing and had finished Mailer's 'The Naked and the Dead' a few weeks ago - now that's a good read. If you're interested in Maths I recommend 'Maths 1001' by Richard Elwes which I'm dipping into now and again. Also those of rural background might enjoy 'The Lie of the Land' by PJ? Cunningham - simple easy to read stuff and well told memories of life in small town and on their farm. Finished it in one read a few weeks ago.
Enjoy your reading and there are a lot of older books about that still haven't lost it e.g. 'Tess of D'urbervilles' and 'Far from the Madding Crowd' by Thomas Hardy read for the first time a year ago. There is no shortage! So try your local library.

KJ · 03-04-2017 02:00PM

The Wild Places by Robert MacFarlane. My brother lent me the book. He said it would be right up my street given my love of hiking and exploring. He wasn't wrong. It's brilliant so far. Very inspiring.

Callan57 · 03-04-2017 03:58PM

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

ahlookit · 03-04-2017 05:14PM

Finished World Gone By by Denis Lehane, the sequel to Live by Night. Enjoyed both of them. Must get round to the first in the Trilogy at some stage (Any Given Day), though I think its only pretty loosely related to the two I've read.

Now, for something completely different, Do No Harm by Henry Marsh. Subtitled "Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery", its a non-fiction work by a brain surgeon nearing retirement, talking about his life and work. I cant help but picture him as one of the Surgeons in the Harry Enfield & Paul Whitehouse sketches.

eire4 · 03-04-2017 05:17PM

Finished Soccernomics by Simon Kuper. A very interesting look at Soccer from a statistical and economic analysis standpoint.

Fathom · 04-04-2017 06:06PM

Deceived
by Irene Hannon

This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

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