This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

batgoat · 01-03-2019 9:40pm

LionelNashe wrote: »

Almost finished Brighton Rock by Graham Greene on Audible - never heard of him before, somehow, but I'll probably try a couple more of his books.

Our Man in Havana is great too, but very different. Everything by him is wonderful.

Ipso · 01-03-2019 10:00pm

LionelNashe wrote: »

Almost finished Brighton Rock by Graham Greene on Audible - never heard of him before, somehow, but I'll probably try a couple more of his books.

I enjoyed The Quiet American and on the back of that started Brighton Rock, I couldn't finish it.
As mentioned Our Man in Havana is supposed to be great, thanks for reminding me on that one and I had always meant to read The Power and the Glory.

Lefty Bicek · 01-03-2019 10:02pm

LionelNashe wrote: »

Almost finished Brighton Rock by Graham Greene on Audible - never heard of him before, somehow, but I'll probably try a couple more of his books.

Travels With My Aunt, I enjoyed.

Callan57 · 02-03-2019 11:17pm

The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne by Brian Moore ... read it years ago but just came across it on the shelf & decided it deserved another read.

Tell me how · 03-03-2019 12:38am

Just finished Milkman by Anna Burns.

Really had to struggle to finish it. It was given to me by someone who had given up after 100 pages. I found the structure of it very intense but I actually enjoyed it between about pages 50 and 300. It was like trying to listen to conversations on 3 radios playing all at once, each sentence had to be considered did it refer to the plot line, the societal environment of the locality or the main characters thoughts on her own existence. Turning each page to see another two pages with barely a break for dialog or paragraphs added to the sense that an awful lot was going on.

But, I found it meandered to an ending and I couldn't say I got anything from the part where her mother became the focus with her anxieties and worries. And she never challenged or explored the experience she observed with her maybe boyfriend or what it meant to their relationship retrospectively.

Oops69 · 03-03-2019 2:41pm

A farewell to Arms , Ernest Hemingway , Definitely over- rated in my opinion , having read 4 of his so far ,I'm reserving my personal judgement on Hemingway unit I've read For whom the Bell tolls and Death in the afternoon ..I did enjoy Fiesta .

Callan57 · 04-03-2019 6:18pm

The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe ... came across it while doing a bit of tidying

eire4 · 05-03-2019 4:53pm

Finished John Connolly's The Wrath of Angels. Classic Connolly merging the supernatural into the story line alongside his main PI character Charlie Parker. Really enjoyed this one as I usually do with his books.

is_that_so · 05-03-2019 4:55pm

eire4 wrote: »

Finished John Connolly's The Wrath of Angels. Classic Connolly merging the supernatural into the story line alongside his main PI character Charlie Parker. Really enjoyed this one as I usually do with his books.

Cool. Just getting into this at present.

eire4 · 05-03-2019 5:10pm

is_that_so wrote: »

Cool. Just getting into this at present.

If you like John Connolly you will like this one for sure I would think.

is_that_so · 05-03-2019 5:15pm

eire4 wrote: »

If you like John Connolly you will like this one for sure I would think.

Actually my first of his books. Plot looked unusual. Let's see how it goes for me.

eire4 · 05-03-2019 5:18pm

is_that_so wrote: »

Actually my first of his books. Plot looked unusual. Let's see how it goes for me.

OK well then I would say expect a real mixing of the supernatural with the storyline and if you like it I would go back and read his first book Every Dead Thing and go through his books from there as there is a gradual building up of the main character Charlie Parker and those around him and a kind of back storyline that carries forward through the series.

Callan57 · 06-03-2019 1:39pm

Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver

miamee · 07-03-2019 11:21am

Tombland - C.J. Sansom. Looking forward to reading it.

Vetch · 08-03-2019 2:54pm

Tell me how wrote: »

Just finished Milkman by Anna Burns.

Really had to struggle to finish it. It was given to me by someone who had given up after 100 pages. I found the structure of it very intense but I actually enjoyed it between about pages 50 and 300. It was like trying to listen to conversations on 3 radios playing all at once, each sentence had to be considered did it refer to the plot line, the societal environment of the locality or the main characters thoughts on her own existence. Turning each page to see another two pages with barely a break for dialog or paragraphs added to the sense that an awful lot was going on.
But, I found it meandered to an ending and I couldn't say I got anything from the part where her mother became the focus with her anxieties and worries. And she never challenged or explored the experience she observed with her maybe boyfriend or what it meant to their relationship retrospectively.

I have the audio book version of Milkman and what you're saying here comes through on it as well. It's very intense narration and difficult to listen to, and it's like there is no let up in it at any point.

blondeonblonde · 09-03-2019 10:34am

LionelNashe wrote: »

Almost finished Brighton Rock by Graham Greene on Audible - never heard of him before, somehow, but I'll probably try a couple more of his books.

I really enjoyed The Human Factor, one of his spy ones. Very good read. Tried twice to read The Heart of the Matter but couldn't get through it, v bleak. As others have said, the Quiet American is also good although I preferred the Human Factor.

Currently reading Lolita on the strength of a recommendation on here. It's like nothing I've ever read before. It's beautifully written but it's engrossing, repulsive & hilarious all in one breath.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 09-03-2019 1:01pm

Just finishing up 'Our Souls at Night' by Kent Haruf.
A lot simpler than some of his other books but he somehow manages to convey so much with quite sparse writing.

miamee · 11-03-2019 10:52am

miamee wrote: »

Tombland - C.J. Sansom. Looking forward to reading it.

Since this is such a tome and not suited to carrying to and from work, I am also reading The Wall by John Lanchester - interesting so far.

Callan57 · 13-03-2019 1:22am

A House in Norway by Vigdis Hjorth

Tell me how · 13-03-2019 10:21am

Anthony De Mello - Awareness

So far it is one of those books of someone telling you to pay close attention to what he is telling you to do, which is, to not pay close attention to what anyone tells you to do.

Dial Hard · 14-03-2019 1:40pm

I'm on a break from Milkman for the same reasons noted by others already. I will go back to it eventually. In the meantime I re-read The Passage by Justin Cronin, then two books this week. Elevation by Stephen King, which was really more of a short story than anything. Felt like something he might have scribbled on the back of an envelope while waiting on a plane or something once. Definitely not worth the hardback price.

Followed that with A House of Ghosts by W.C. Ryan. Very standard "something going bump in the attic of a haunted house" potboilery stuff. You'll spot the "twist" about a quarter of the way in.

Started The Familiars by Stacey Halls yesterday. Too early to make much of a judgement yet.

I reckon then I might be ready to go back to Milkman after all that brain-fluff.

Callan57 · 19-03-2019 6:57pm

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell

Ipso · 23-03-2019 11:01pm

The Last Armada/Hell or some worse place by Des Ekin. About the siege of Kinsale in 1601 and looks at the main players of the English, Irish and Spanish. About a third of the way through, ruddy good read.

Callan57 · 30-03-2019 4:52pm

Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield
Really loved The Thirteenth Tale so hope this maintains the standard.

branie2 · 06-04-2019 10:00pm

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

Callan57 · 07-04-2019 1:14am

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

LionelNashe · 08-04-2019 3:56pm

Listening to Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy - am thinking though that it's a book I'd rather read than listen to.

Am reading A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James - about 100 pages in - it's not exactly addictive reading so far.

miamee · 12-04-2019 11:57am

Into The Water - Paula Hawkins. I think this will be a quick, somewhat forgettable read. Nowhere near as good as The Girl on The Train though it did pick up pace a bit this morning. Maybe it'll get better, I'm finding all of the characters a bit confusing.

Sleazy Rider · 15-04-2019 12:05pm

Just about finished the Bobiverse trilogy by Dennis E Taylor. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Callan57 · 15-04-2019 1:14pm

Snap by Belinda Bauer ... about 30% into it & its really starting to build now

This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

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