What book are you reading atm??

RobbingBandit · 23-09-2018 8:25pm

Trying to start Asperger's Children tough read so far

Re-read Alex Ferguson Leading the past few days good insight into his business like attitude towards football while he was a manager.

mikhail · 23-09-2018 10:01pm

The Pheasant2 wrote: »

Just finished "HMS surprise" by Patrick O'Brian

Are you reading the series in sequence? I read the whole lot over a decade or so, and it remains one of the most satisfying reading experiences of my life. The film captures the tone of the books admirably.

Pero_Bueno · 23-09-2018 11:37pm

The Wandering Earth by Cixin Liu - collection of short stories, amazing stuff, never heard of him before, can't wait to start The three body problem trilogy next ...

The Pheasant2 · 23-09-2018 11:49pm

mikhail wrote: »

Are you reading the series in sequence? I read the whole lot over a decade or so, and it remains one of the most satisfying reading experiences of my life. The film captures the tone of the books admirably.

Yep, have "The Mauritius Command" lined up for my next read, looking forward to it, I find them excellent. O'Brian's attention to detail really does a lot to make for rich reading.

mikhail · 24-09-2018 12:05am

Pero_Bueno wrote: »

The Wandering Earth by Cixin Liu - collection of short stories, amazing stuff, never heard of him before, can't wait to start The three body problem trilogy next ...

I've only read the first of them. It took a few chapters to get used to the style (I don't read a lot of translated works), but it's an interesting book. The opening is set during the Cultural Revolution in China when (among other atrocities) many academics were beaten, publically humiliated, and imprisoned; it really brought it to life for me how messed up China was at the time. And that's just back story for one character!

Noodles81 · 24-09-2018 4:39am

Lethal White by Robert Galbraith. Gets straight into the story. I'm enjoying it tremendously. I love Cormoran Strike, a great character.

Cheshire Cat · 24-09-2018 8:34am

Noodles81 wrote: »

Lethal White by Robert Galbraith. Gets straight into the story. I'm enjoying it tremendously. I love Cormoran Strike, a great character.

Good to know that a new one is out!

JupiterKid · 24-09-2018 10:54am

A Concise History of Amsterdam. Beautifully illustrated with historical maps and drawings but appallingly translated into English from Dutch. Shame.:(

Paddy Samurai · 28-09-2018 3:24pm

Decided to give Sanderson a try.
About 70% through this novella and not really liking it.:(
I will still try something else by him to give him a fair go.

28-09-2018 3:35pm

Believe Me by JP Delaney, enjoying it so far

appledrop · 28-09-2018 6:43pm

Just started the Importance of Being Aisling. Hilarious. Never read a book like it that gets the culchie so well.

Have finished Sally Rooney Normal People. It was a grand read but don't get the fuss about it or long list for Man Booker. Some of it very unbelievable + that annoyed me
The context of the popular boy in school from working class family magically getting 600 points even though seems to do limited work in school.

Carry · 30-09-2018 9:22pm

For friends of hard-boiled crime fiction I can only recommend Bloody January by Alan Parks.

It's not my usual preference, don't like the cliché of tough macho cop cleaning up the mean streets of anywhere. But this one has quite an interesting twist.

It's set in Glasgow 1973, with all the dirt, drunkenness, utter poverty and miserable weather - and the music. Even David Bowie plays a small role.

The cop in question is a druggie, drunk, has a junkie prostitute as a girlfriend and ties from childhood to the underworld. And there are hints at abuse as a child in catholic institutions.

The fascinating part is actually the atmosphere the author captures. You find yourself immersed in a Glasgow most of us never knew and you can read the book as a social commentary.

I'm halfway through and despite my reservations at first I'm now kind of gripped.

Apparently the author plans to write a book with this cop for every month in the year 1973 in Glasgow. Bloody January is the first.

Ipso · 30-09-2018 9:52pm

Carry wrote: »

For friends of hard-boiled crime fiction I can only recommend Bloody January by Alan Parks.

It's not my usual preference, don't like the cliché of tough macho cop cleaning up the mean streets of anywhere. But this one has quite an interesting twist.

It's set in Glasgow 1973, with all the dirt, drunkenness, utter poverty and miserable weather - and the music. Even David Bowie plays a small role.

The cop in question is a druggie, drunk, has a junkie prostitute as a girlfriend and ties from childhood to the underworld. And there are hints at abuse as a child in catholic institutions.

The fascinating part is actually the atmosphere the author captures. You find yourself immersed in a Glasgow most of us never knew and you can read the book as a social commentary.

I'm halfway through and despite my reservations at first I'm now kind of gripped.

Apparently the author plans to write a book with this cop for every month in the year 1973 in Glasgow. Bloody January is the first.

If you like grim British crime stories, try David Peace’s Red Riding quartet (1973, 1977, 1980 & 1983).
They cover few intertwining stories, which include The Yorkshire Ripper, told from from the perspective of different people.
Covers all the warm and fuzzy stuff like corruption, serial killers, pedo rings and porn industry.

Carry · 30-09-2018 10:10pm

Ipso wrote: »

If you like grim British crime stories, try David Peace’s Red Riding quartet (1973, 1977, 1980 & 1983).
They cover few intertwining stories, which include The Yorkshire Ripper, told from from the persoective of different people.
Covers all thecwarm and fuzzy stuff like corruption, serial killers, pedo rings and porn industry.

I think there was a TV-series basing on these books. Red Riding rings a bell. I remember, that I've tried to watch one of them and had to stop. It was bleak beyond imagination, and had a boring narrative as well.

Usually books are better. I'm more into words than pictures anyway. But I think that Alan Park's book is as far as I go in British bleakness.

Talking of British bleakness: I'm looking forward to the first crime thrillers based in Brexit-Britain... :pac:

batgoat · 30-09-2018 10:24pm

Carry wrote: »

I think there was a TV-series basing on these books. Red Riding rings a bell. I remember, that I've tried to watch one of them and had to stop. It was bleak beyond imagination, and had a boring narrative as well.

Usually books are better. I'm more into words than pictures anyway. But I think that Alan Park's book is as far as I go in British bleakness.

Talking of British bleakness: I'm looking forward to the first crime thrillers based in Brexit-Britain... :pac:

Channel 4 made the series.

JupiterKid · 01-10-2018 12:08am

Carry wrote: »

For friends of hard-boiled crime fiction I can only recommend Bloody January by Alan Parks.

It's not my usual preference, don't like the cliché of tough macho cop cleaning up the mean streets of anywhere. But this one has quite an interesting twist.

It's set in Glasgow 1973, with all the dirt, drunkenness, utter poverty and miserable weather - and the music. Even David Bowie plays a small role.

The cop in question is a druggie, drunk, has a junkie prostitute as a girlfriend and ties from childhood to the underworld. And there are hints at abuse as a child in catholic institutions.

The fascinating part is actually the atmosphere the author captures. You find yourself immersed in a Glasgow most of us never knew and you can read the book as a social commentary.

I'm halfway through and despite my reservations at first I'm now kind of gripped.

Apparently the author plans to write a book with this cop for every month in the year 1973 in Glasgow. Bloody January is the first.

Sounds interesting - like Inspector Rebus meets the characters of Jake Arnott’s The Long Firm and it’s sequels.

Roger Hassenforder · 03-10-2018 8:03pm

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

Neverwhere or American gods would be my picks, also The Ocean at the End of the Lane. I wish I could read Neverwhere for the first time again.

Browsing in Easons the other day, came accross American Gods. On the strength of this post, i pulled the trigger.

Have to say, im not disappointed so far.
Im enjoying the premise. Quirky and original.

Carry · 10-10-2018 10:52pm

Finished today Violett Hill by Henrietta McKervey.
It was advertised as a crime novel, but it's far from it. Of course, Violett Hill is a sleuth in 1918 London, on a case concerning Conan Arthur Doyle of Sherlock Holmes fame.
And the story is interweaved with the fate of a female police officer in 2018 London, who has the gift of absolute face recognition.
But it's not about crime, it's about identiy, about believe systems, about what a life means or not means, what truth is and what you make of it.
A fascinating and literary read with lots of food for thought.

Carry wrote: »

Just finished The Last Hours by Minette Walters.

What a story! Time is the mid-1300s and place is a demesne and village in Dorset, when the plague broke out and devasted Europe. One woman, the lady of the manor, and her serfs/farmers defy not only the plague but also the clergy and the aristocracy and thereby religious and feudal rules.

I know Minette Walters as a fantastic thriller writer and her skills to create a sense of place, interesting characters, realistic circumstances, gory details and a gripping story shows in this historical novel. It is well researched and I was really "living" in medieval times while reading it.

It's supposed to be a trilogy. Can't wait for the next installment.

Highly recommended!

Finally out now: The Turn of Midnight, the follow-up of the book above.
Looking forward to bedtime and reading what happens to the characters in the first book!

optogirl · 11-10-2018 9:25am

Just started 'Before the Fall' by Noah Hawley. Good so far

batgoat · 11-10-2018 11:21am

A Man Called Ove, couldn't get into it the first time I started it but loving it on the second try.

Dial Hard · 11-10-2018 11:27am

Dial Hard wrote: »

Started Heartbreaker by Claudia Dey on Saturday. It's about a woman who escapes from a survivalist commune and is narrated in three parts, by her daughter, her dog (yes, really) and a teenage boy from the commune.

I'm only a few chapters in and haven't a rashers what's actually happening, but enjoying it so far. Dey's narrative style is quite different - think Joyce Carol Oates on acid.

This was a bit meh in the end. The third part, which was narrated by the boy, kind of ran out of steam and by the time I finished it I'd realised that the plot was pretty thin on the ground but that had been masked by the narrative devices.

Anyway, since then, I've also read:

Alice by Christina Henry. A dystopian, extremely dark take on Alice in Wonderland in which Alice ends up in a lunatic asylum after her adventures with the White Rabbit, who has been trying to track her down since she escaped his clutches. I enjoyed it enough to order the follow-up.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman. I'd seen the movie so no surprises here. A very easy read, perfect for a rainy afternoon at home.

The Living Dead, edited by John Joseph Adams. An anthology of zombie stories collected by the same guy who did Wastelands (apocalyptic fiction). A mixed bag. Some stories were great, others not so much, but that's really to be expected in any large-ish collection by so many different writers.

Currently reading yet more Gaiman, in the form of Smoke and Mirrors, which is a short story collection. Loving it so far. Gaiman is a prolific writer of introductions and his are always worth reading as they're so funny. This one includes a brief background of how each story came to be, which I love.

GinnyR · 11-10-2018 11:29am

I’m reading City of Bohane by Kevin Barry.

gmisk · 11-10-2018 11:30am

batgoat wrote: »

A Man Called Ove, couldn't get into it the first time I started it but loving it on the second try.

I enjoyed the film version, not sure how well it would work as a book tbh.

New Home · 11-10-2018 12:10pm

The book is fantastic.

SexBobomb · 11-10-2018 12:30pm

GinnyR wrote: »

I’m reading City of Bohane by Kevin Barry.

How do you like it? I read it a few years ago and I couldn't get a real grip on it, I love the fantasy skewed version of Ireland but to be honest I was in the middle of racing through all the ASOIAF books and maybe didn't give this enough of a chance.

Deebles McBeebles · 11-10-2018 2:27pm

Tiger Wood by Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian, and I just got to the interesting bit. Lets just say Elin is readying the golf club.

11-10-2018 2:31pm

"Sex at Dawn" by Cacilda Jethá and Christopher Ryan

The problem is that once I get a few drinks in me, I waffle on about how we allegedly were back in the day (the book argues we were highly sexual beings with multiple partners as hunter gatherers). It is a very creepy chat-up line.

Feisar · 11-10-2018 2:34pm

Lord of Chaos, Book Six of the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan.

It's a reread, I just out the series every so often and wade through it.

Philosophy Zombie · 11-10-2018 2:38pm

Deebles McBeebles wrote: »

Tiger Wood by Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian, and I just got to the interesting bit. Lets just say Elin is readying the golf club.

Particularly fitting that a golf club was her weapon of choice. A bit like Ronnie O 'Sullivan's wife (for example) deciding to use a snooker cue.

Deebles McBeebles · 11-10-2018 3:05pm

Philosophy Zombie wrote: »

Particularly fitting that a golf club was her weapon of choice. A bit like Ronnie O 'Sullivan's wife (for example) deciding to use a snooker cue.

Definitely. There's something to be said for using the man's own tool to hop seven shades out of him. I guess the clubs were just there and she was looking for anything to do damage with.

5rtytry56 · 11-10-2018 3:09pm

Very Straight Up. Mainly about the relationship with her biological father Steve Jobs. Talks about her baby brother Reed as well, - the incident when she was assigned to change his diaper is described as well in full detail. Not forgettable in a short space of time.

Blacktie. · 11-10-2018 3:09pm

Feisar wrote: »

Lord of Chaos, Book Six of the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan.

It's a reread, I just out the series every so often and wade through it.

Favourite series by far. Would highly recommend Wot Spoilers podcast if you're not a subscriber already. Gets real in depth as a re read. They do a couple of chapters a week and just started book 4.

iamwhoiam · 11-10-2018 3:16pm

Reading And the Mountains Echoed by Khalid Hosseini

I will finish it but its not a patch on A Thousand Splendid Suns or The Kite Runner .

2ygb4cmqetsjhx · 11-10-2018 4:31pm

Reading "Silent Invasion" by Clive Hamilton. It details how the Chinese Communist party are attempting to subvert the Australia political system to influence policy in a way which will advance China's geopolitical agenda.

18-10-2018 5:31pm

Deleted User wrote: »

"Sex at Dawn" by Cacilda Jethá and Christopher Ryan

The problem is that once I get a few drinks in me, I waffle on about how we allegedly were back in the day (the book argues we were highly sexual beings with multiple partners as hunter gatherers). It is a very creepy chat-up line.

Fantastic book, though I do appreciate a lot of it is conjecture.

Just finished Madame Bovary, simply extraordinary novel. I can see why people don't like it but I thought it was absolutely brilliant. Flaubert, imo, is incredibly accurate in his portrayals of human nature, for 95% of the book. On the face of it it's about adultery in Normandy in the 1850's but it's also for me about how can a person reconcile themselves to a life that has promised them it's going to be more than it is.

the ending was a tad too far for me, a cotton mill, really?

GLaDOS · 18-10-2018 6:26pm

Blacktie. wrote: »

Favourite series by far. Would highly recommend Wot Spoilers podcast if you're not a subscriber already. Gets real in depth as a re read. They do a couple of chapters a week and just started book 4.

I know I'm a week late, but The Wheel of Time series is one I've wondered about. I'm a massive fantasy fan, but the size of series has put me off starting it and I've heard the quality drops badly towards the end?

Danger781 · 18-10-2018 10:49pm

Supernatural by Graham Hancock. I've gone back into reading after listening to a lot of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. I was absolutely enthralled listening to the episodes with Graham Hancock.

Blacktie. · 19-10-2018 9:54am

GLaDOS wrote: »

I know I'm a week late, but The Wheel of Time series is one I've wondered about. I'm a massive fantasy fan, but the size of series has put me off starting it and I've heard the quality drops badly towards the end?

It is seriously long but very worth it I find. A lot of people complain about the later books before he died alright but I don't think it's as big a deal as people made it out to be. It was a big deal at the time because you where waiting years between books and the plot progression you where hoping for wasn't there but now that you can read them all straight through I think it's fine. With a series so long there's always gonna be ebbs and flows throughout. Brandon Sanderson really picks up the pace on the last 3 books and though he gets a few things a bit off overall he does a great job in ending it

kimokanto · 19-10-2018 12:14pm

Carry wrote:

Finally out now: The Turn of Midnight, the follow-up of the book above. Looking forward to bedtime and reading what happens to the characters in the first book!

I got The Last Hours & I am about halfway through & I am very impressed. This is one of the best book I have read this year. Skillfully crafted, researched & written. Thanks for letting us know carry, I look forward to the The Turn of Midnight.

Carry · 19-10-2018 1:28pm

Happy to oblige

Just finished The Turn of Midnight last night. Couldn't stop reading even if it's a book with apparently not so much action. But it has a wonderful medieval pace and you are sucked in if you want or not.

The_Kew_Tour · 22-10-2018 1:38am

Just finished The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail by Henry Lincoln and Michael Baigent

Decent read if your into your bit of Religion doubts and believe that all is not telling the truth.

Read American Sniper too. Was great easy read.

Never seen film! Must now.

Thargor · 05-11-2018 10:48pm

Blood Meridian is so intense and so grim, you can definitely tell its the same author as The Road.

t1h9mgqsxopj0r · 05-11-2018 11:02pm

py2006 wrote: »

and would ya recommend it?

I'm reading 'Full Dark, No Stars' by Stephen King!

Just started so can't really say I can recommend it just yet!

You can't beat a bit of Stephen King!

I ordered Pet Semetery from Book Depository so I’m dying to get stuck into that

Ipso · 05-11-2018 11:09pm

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Just finished The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail by Henry Lincoln and Michael Baigent

Decent read if your into your bit of Religion doubts and believe that all is not telling the truth.

Read American Sniper too. Was great easy read.

Never seen film! Must now.

Including those authors.

Pero_Bueno · 05-11-2018 11:13pm

Death's End by Liu Cixin

It's the 3rd of the three body problem trilogy.

Incredible, what an imagination he has, best Sci Fi author since Asimov or Clarke...

Roger Hassenforder · 06-11-2018 10:20am

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Just finished The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail by Henry Lincoln and Michael Baigent

Decent read if your into your bit of Religion doubts and believe that all is not telling the truth.

.

Read that years ago. Got me thinking what a crock of sh1té organised religon is. In fairness, twas probably a load of bo11ox. Dan Brown made a few bob out of it

PlaneSpeeking · 06-11-2018 10:35am

Just started Grisham's latest "The Reckoning" and after that I've "High Strung" about the rivalry between Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, then Eric Idle's autobiography (or "sortabiography" as he's calling it!!!).

Plopsu · 06-11-2018 10:42am

Crazy Horse And Custer. I'd just finished some of the Alvin Maker books and was in the mood for some American history.

Hector Savage · 06-11-2018 10:54am

Kaia Drab Alphabet wrote: »

I ordered Pet Semetery from Book Depository so I’m dying to get stuck into that

It's a great book, enjoy, nice timing with the new film coming next year too ...

New Home · 06-11-2018 12:07pm

I'm re-reading Money in the bank by P. G. Wodehouse. He's hilarious, but every time I read one of his books I'm reminded of how much so he really is.

What book are you reading atm??

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