What book are you reading atm?? CHAPTER TWO

Try On The Beach, by Nevile Shute.

Jusr finished 'Body of Truth' by Marie Cassidy. Would have to give it a good 4/5. Nice little compact thriller not too much filler and a cool twist put on the author's own previous career.

Starting into 'Border Angels' by Anthony J Quinn. Second of a series but looks easily picked up.

Paddy Mayne by Hamish Ross

A biography of the commanding officer of 1 SAS, which was founded by David Stirling during WWII, and thrived under Mayne's leadership after Stirling's capture.

I really wanted to read up on Mayne after having watched BBC's SAS: Rogue Heroes, and reading that his family were considering taking legal action against the BBC and Ben MacIntyre, (who's book the series is based upon), given their portrayal of Mayne as a drunk, hot tempered, wild individual.

This account, based on Mayne's personal papers, accounts from superiors and comrades, family, and associates, show that he is the opposite of what he is being portrayed as.

You might also enjoy this book about a famous bucaneer :

A Pirate of Exquisite Mind: The Life of William Dampier

The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden

Was starting to think that I has accidentally picked a romance novel as it wasn't until I was a quarter of the way into the book when the first body finally dropped.

The story is set in New York and centers on 3 friends, one of whom is murdered and the suspect is her secret boyfriend, that neither her friends or the cops can ID. Very quick and easy read.

Viking Britain: A History by Thomas Williams

Fascinating, accessible account of the Viking age in Britain and Ireland. Also reflects on this period's echoes in later history and the Vikings' enduring presence in language, literature, place-names and folklore. Williams seamlessly weaves in various pop culture references: he compares the author of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle to Marvin the Paranoid Android and wonders whether and if so why Smithers from The Simpsons is named after Wayland Smithy.

R.E.M. Fiction: An Alternative Biography by David Buckley

Bio about the band from Athens, Georgia. Very thorough .

I have read a Christmas carol a few times; it's a short book well worth reading.

I love this line because it's a very timely reminder to several people that they were once young and happy.

His face had begun to wear the signs of care and avarice.' 

Mussolini: His Part in My Downfall by Spike Milligan

Diary of his time in Italy during WW2. It only covers 3 months in 1943 and is mostly his humorous observations of the daily grind of war (bad food, damp clothes etc.) interspersed with more serious descriptions of the reality of war.

The language is of the time and displays a typical English colonial condescension of all other nations.

The Tenant by Freida McFadden

Found this tough to finish, just didn't really catch my attention.

The story is centered on Blake, who seems to have it all, VP of Marketing at a top firm, hot fiancé, beautiful brownhouse, but it all implodes when he is fired suddenly for allegedly selling confidential company information to a competitor.

Unemployed and struggling to meet the mortgage, Blake and his fiancé take in a tenant, that appears to be perfect on paper, but strange things begin to happen to Blake, making him irritable and short tempered.

Why is this tenant making Blake's life worst and are they actually responsible for getting him sacked, tarnishing his reputation and sanity?

’The Black Locomotive’ by Rian Hughes, enjoyed it but found it a bit similar to ‘XX’.

Starting into ‘Dark Matter’ by Michelle Paver, an arctic horror.

Just finished reading Needful Things by Stephen King.

Excellent book and really flows for something that is very long (923 pages), he brilliantly captures small town life.

I believe this was the first book he wrote after he gave up drinking.

Just came across this thread - apologies if this has been mentioned previously

I’m currently reading MUNICHS by David Peace. Anyone who has interest in football & particularly Manchester United, I can highly recommend reading this. It’s all about the air crash and the aftermath in 1958.

Immortality: The Quest to Live Forever and How It Drives Civilization by Stephen Cave

Cave explores and utimately debunks the four ways in which he says humanity has sought to achieve immortality:

1. Staying Alive – not dying
2. Resurrection – dying but then resurrecting in the same physical body
3. The Soul – surviving the death of the physical body as a spiritual entity
4. Legacy – leaving a mark on the world, either cultural or biological (children)

In place of all these 'futile endeavours' he proposes the Wisdom Narrative, which says there is a way to accept and live with mortality.

A lot of research has gone into this book but Cave wears it lightly, keeping this light and lucid.