What book are you reading atm??

Widdershins · 14-06-2019 10:50am

Carry wrote: »

I'm reading that now (halfway through), thanks to your rather mixed "recommendation".
I thought a rant from and the killings by a female anti-hero might be fun, and it is sometimes. The idea as such isn't half bad.

But - she seems to stray a little too much into chicklit territory and the prose, though littered with slang and swear words, comes across as quite flat, as do the characters, and it's full of exaggerated clichés.

I certainly wouldn't rank it as one of my best reads this year and I was often tempted to give it up, but it's strangely addictive and I'm going to finish it. Maybe there is a surprising twist somewhere...

I was expecting more like Patricia Highsmith's Ripley novels, only with a cold-blooded but still understandably "lovable" female killer. But Highsmith is unique (and highly recommended with her very unimpassioned yet complex prose), so the Sweetpea writer is a bit of a letdown.

I might give it another go...I think the character was just too cynical and not lovable , for me, but the Ripley series sounds promising .

Dial Hard · 14-06-2019 11:05am

appledrop wrote: »

Well I finally finished the Milkman. What a load of c**p. Never has it taken me that long to read a book less than 400 pages. The only real thing that happen she tells us about in first few pages. Full of pretentious prose nonsense.

I got about 150 pages into that and had to take a break from it. Can't see myself going back to it, tbh, pretty much any (non critical) reviews of it I've read all agree that nothing much else happens in it anyway.

I just finished a re-read of Neil Gaiman's Smoke and Mirrors and am now reading Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies which is the follow-up to Wolf Hall. So far, so good.

After that it'll be Joseph O'Connor's Shadowplay and The Rapture by Claire McGlasson, both of which I won in a radio competition last week

pavb2 · 14-06-2019 11:11am

Just finished Blue Monday - Niccci French a crime/thriller the first of one in a series about a female psychiatrist living in London. The book started well but deteriorated quite soon after, too many incidental characters that didn't really contribute to the plot. I wasn't really that interested in the descriptions of London as she walked the streets, probably ok if you lived there or were familiar with the places.

The premise was a bit unimaginative and there were many scenes that simply stretched credibility to breaking point. As one of the reviewers wrote 'I finished it to find out what happened in the end.' I don't think I'll read any more.

gmisk · 14-06-2019 4:32pm

Unnatural causes
It's by Britain's top pathologist fascinating insight into an area I have no clue on.

Finished this is going to hurt by Adam Kay as well...outstanding funny, sad and heartbreaking.

bobbyss · 14-06-2019 4:35pm

Have two on the go.
Ernie O'Malley, On another man's wound

Breakfast at Tiffany's, Capote

appledrop · 14-06-2019 6:53pm

Dial Hard wrote: »

I got about 150 pages into that and had to take a break from it. Can't see myself going back to it, tbh, pretty much any (non critical) reviews of it I've read all agree that nothing much else happens in it anyway.

Yep nothing else happens so your not missing any plot.

Reading 'Just one more question' by Niall Tubridy. Very interesting read about conditions/patients he has come across as a Neurologist. I never knew for example that a stroke can have a different impact on a person if they are left handed compared to right handed.

appledrop · 14-06-2019 6:55pm

Finished this is going to hurt by Adam Kay as well...outstanding funny, sad and heartbreaking.[/quote]

I agree an outstanding book. It's a shame he felt he had to leave his career as a doctor

gmisk · 14-06-2019 10:35pm

appledrop wrote: »

Finished this is going to hurt by Adam Kay as well...outstanding funny, sad and heartbreaking.

I agree an outstanding book. It's a shame he felt he had to leave his career as a doctor[/quote]
I agree, his empathy and decency shone through but it sounds like an impossible job, the stress would be insane!

I am guessing he isn't with the long suffering H any longer? He mentioned a bachelor pad and H wasn't mentioned in the thank yous that I remember?

corks finest · 14-06-2019 10:38pm

bobbyss wrote: »

Have two on the go.
Ernie O'Malley, On another man's wound

Breakfast at Tiffany's, Capote

On another man's wound around a long time,ok though

Widdershins · 15-06-2019 6:00am

Widdershins wrote: »

I might give it another go...I think the character was just too cynical and not lovable , for me, but the Ripley series sounds promising .

highly recommend The Gods of Love for the chapter with Frida, Cerberus (the 3 headed hell hound) and the cakes. Hilarious and surreal and she's likeable, smart arsed without being depressingly snide.

Bus Boy · 15-06-2019 11:12pm

Kealen Ryan's debut 'The Middle Place'. Really enjoyed it.

Mars Bar · 16-06-2019 7:24pm

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

I've only just realised it's 1,007 pages long. Guess my 8 hour flight in a couple of weeks will be useful for keeping me on my Goodreads challenge track.

Foweva Awone · 16-06-2019 8:12pm

Caroline Knapp's "Drinking: A Love Story." I have read soooo many addiction/recovery memoirs; this is one of the better ones. Very relatable and honest.

thefasteriwalk · 16-06-2019 8:14pm

The Human Stain by Philip Roth.

The Late Late Show · 17-06-2019 5:01pm

appledrop wrote: »

Well I finally finished the Milkman. What a load of c**p. Never has it taken me that long to read a book less than 400 pages. The only real thing that happen she tells us about in first few pages. Full of pretentious prose nonsense.

I looked up reviews on Goodreads so opinions seem very divided on it people either love it or hate it.

I'm so excited about starting a new book. Bring it on!!!!

I read that book last year and was struggling to see it as anything other than an inferior ripoff of The Handmaid's Tale, a type of book that is flooding the marketplace at the moment. If one loves The Handmaid's Tale and wants more, read Margaret Atwood's other dystopias and not these ripoffs. Milkman is curious in that it adds in a Belfast dystopia that is half the troubles era and half made up.

BPKS · 17-06-2019 5:09pm

Just finished And Then It Fell Apart by Moby

Brilliant follow up to Porcelain.

You dont need to be a Moby fan or even a music fan to enjoy it.

gutenberg · 17-06-2019 6:03pm

Reading Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz. It's about the legacy of the American Civil War in the American South, and how many Southerners continue to cherish the 'Lost Cause'. Although it was written in the late 90s, so many of the same issues are still present: is it acceptable to fly the Confederate battle flag? What about statues etc? The author recently passed away, which is how it came onto my radar. Finding it really interesting.

Tauriel · 21-06-2019 1:40pm

I finished Listening to the Animals: Becoming the Supervet by Noel Fitzpatrick.

I really enjoyed his autobiography and was shocked by all of the difficulties he has had to and continues to overcome (a poor primary school education in rural Ireland, severe bullying in his youth and disdain from other vets).

He is such an amazing man and the world is definitely a better place with him in it. He should be cloned a million times.

JupiterKid · 21-06-2019 5:19pm

Re-reading The Outrun by Amy Liptrot. A superb true story of her life in recovery from alcoholism in the wilds of the Orkney Islands in Scotland.

The author is very honest and frank about how her life in London on the party circuit with the so-called "beautuful people" was in reality a hollow shell and how her "friends" dropped her when her drinking got completely out of control. Now she lives a life a quiet peace in the Orkneys but admits thatvshe still has her dark days and the cravings still surface now and then. I can completely identify with much of her story.

Thoroughly recommended read.

Taiga · 26-06-2019 8:25pm

mustang shelly wrote: »

I finished Listening to the Animals: Becoming the Supervet by Noel Fitzpatrick.

I really enjoyed his autobiography and was shocked by all of the difficulties he has had to and continues to overcome (a poor primary school education in rural Ireland, severe bullying in his youth and disdain from other vets).

He is such an amazing man and the world is definitely a better place with him in it. He should be cloned a million times.

Totally agree. He's a very special man.

Currently reading Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. I'm half way through but I'm not sure about it. I can't put my finger on why, maybe I'm expecting too much.

Say Your Number · 29-06-2019 7:57pm

Just finished How To Stop Time by Matt Haig, it's about a man born in the 1580's whose ageing process slowed down a lot once he hit his mid-teens, he works as a 40 year old history teacher in modern times, who describes historical events like he was there, very enjoyable stuff.

I'm a few chapters through The Miracle of Castel Di Sangro, entertaining stuff so far.

jcorr · 30-06-2019 3:42pm

If you listen to audiobooks does it count?

Count Dooku: Jedi Lost.

I'm afraid I'm a literary cretin. I have mostly been reading Star Wars novels. I read the Darth Plagueis one and it was brilliant.

30-06-2019 4:12pm

The Immortalists, by Chloe Benjamin..

I'm really liking it..

Had to stop reading 'the tattooist of auschwitz'..
Just badly written..couldn't hack it..

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 30-06-2019 4:15pm

The Zoo by Isobel Charman.
The history of London Zoo. Surprisingly interesting story.

RhubarbCrumble · 30-06-2019 5:10pm

Mark Billingham - Their Little Secret.

Only two chapters in, so can't say a whole lot about it yet, but have enjoyed all his other Tom Thorne based novels.

mickrock · 30-06-2019 11:17pm

Just finished Germinal by Emile Zola, an 1885 novel set in a mining community in France.

It's gritty and often harrowing in its depiction of the lives and loves of the mining community. It has social realism, action, politics, romance, tragedy. For an old book if feels quite modern—there's even four letter words and sex in it. It's very compelling and great storytelling.

Thargor · 02-07-2019 9:27pm

Hmmm did not enjoy The Slap at all, got excited when I saw it recommended here as it sounded right up my alley but nah, it wasnt the big family drama blow-out I thought it would be, very boring actually and unrealistic characters. It was a good idea but poorly executed. Id love to see an Irish version by Roddy Doyle or someone, set it in rural Ireland and it would be hilarious.

Have a look at The Corrections by Jonathon Franzen if you want passive aggressive family drama done right.

paleoperson · 02-07-2019 9:35pm

Book? damn getting fancy these days aren't we...?

Buford T. Justice XIX · 02-07-2019 10:44pm

paleoperson wrote: »

Book? damn getting fancy these days aren't we...?

The boom is back.

gutenberg · 04-07-2019 10:58am

Reading Caroline Criado Perez's Invisible Women at the moment. It's an eye-opener.

bobbyss · 04-07-2019 11:06am

The Irish Game Matthew Hart
About art heists Russborough House etc. and Peacemakers by Margaret Macmillan about making peace after WW1.
Both well written. Both enjoyable.

patmac · 04-07-2019 1:21pm

Regarding Audible.
Currently I am Spellbound listening to Jeremy Irons reading Brideshead Revisited. Also I have found my diction has improved exponentially.

bobbyss · 04-07-2019 1:29pm

patmac wrote:

Regarding Audible. Currently I am Spellbound listening to Jeremy Irons reading Brideshead Revisited. Also I have found my diction has improved exponentially.

Exponentially.
Lovely sounding word!

RhubarbCrumble · 06-07-2019 12:37pm

RhubarbCrumble wrote: »

Mark Billingham - Their Little Secret.

Only two chapters in, so can't say a whole lot about it yet, but have enjoyed all his other Tom Thorne based novels.

Was very disappointed with this one. It felt like it was something he just wrote in a hurry. All the characters just seemed bland. There was very little detail in anything and the ending felt very rushed. Nothing like any of his other books. I'm actually wondering if it was ghost written as it just didn't feel like an MB book at all.

Definitely wouldn't recommend it.

Immortal Starlight · 06-07-2019 12:55pm

I'm about 100 pages into a book called Dracul written by Dacre Stoker and JD Barker. It's a prequel of Dracula and one of the writers is a grandson of Bram Stoker. It's set in Dublin and is very good so far.

Foweva Awone · 06-07-2019 4:48pm

The Choice, by Edith Eger. So much more than just a holocaust memoir, it really challenges and changes your perspective of the world. Would highly recommend it.

Foweva Awone · 15-07-2019 8:39am

All That Remains, by Sue Black (a forensic anthropologist in the UK.)

For a book about death, it's surprisingly light and uplifting. Really makes you appreciate life.

As a result of reading it, I've started the process of registering with a university to donate my body to science when I die - sure it's not like I'll have any use for it any more, and it's fascinating to read about how important body donations are in the education of students in the medical profession. Nice to think I'll be part of that.

greenspurs · 15-07-2019 9:25am

"The president is missing" - James Patterson & Bill Clinton.

Very good so far, half way through it.
Would love to know how much Clinton contributed to it .

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 15-07-2019 9:29am

John Man's The Mongol Empire.

So far, it's very interesting.

Barna77 · 15-07-2019 10:15am

So I'm reading a book about WW2.

Last week some lady approached me (I was in a store) saying she was curious about what I was reading. I showed her the cover and she was horrified, saying how could I be reading that. I replied I have an interest on WW2 and she went on on how I would like all the killing and destruction in it. I said it's history and such.

She wouldn't stop on her tirade that she'd never go to Germany and that she was "old enough". Don't know what she meant there because she wasn't old enough to have gone through the war.
She walked away and I, and those around me, were left slightly bewildered and bemused about her.

A nosy wan.

gmisk · 15-07-2019 12:05pm

Foweva Awone wrote: »

All That Remains, by Sue Black (a forensic anthropologist in the UK.)

For a book about death, it's surprisingly light and uplifting. Really makes you appreciate life.

As a result of reading it, I've started the process of registering with a university to donate my body to science when I die - sure it's not like I'll have any use for it any more, and it's fascinating to read about how important body donations are in the education of students in the medical profession. Nice to think I'll be part of that.

That sounds right up my alley.
I read a similar sounding book called Unnatural causes by Dr Richard Shepherd (former forensic pathologist) it was fantastic.

mikhail · 15-07-2019 1:04pm

greenspurs wrote: »

"The president is missing" - James Patterson & Bill Clinton.

Very good so far, half way through it.
Would love to know how much Clinton contributed to it .

I presume Clinton wrote up an idea in a couple of pages, Patterson expanded it to a 10 page summary, and some uncredited ghost writer actually wrote the book. Patterson published 22 books last year: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Patterson_bibliography

bonzodog2 · 15-07-2019 1:16pm

gmisk wrote: »

That sounds right up my alley.
I read a similar sounding book called Unnatural causes by Dr Richard Shepherd (former forensic pathologist) it was fantastic.

You might enjoy the novels of Kathy Reichs
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kathy-Reichs/e/B000APED9E

bobbyss · 15-07-2019 2:12pm

The Stuarts by John Miller.
Going through a bit of a Charles 1 phase at the moment. It's a little heavy at times. But good I have to say.

gmisk · 15-07-2019 4:18pm

bonzodog2 wrote: »

You might enjoy the novels of Kathy Reichs
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kathy-Reichs/e/B000APED9E

Oh thanks might check them out.

I have started reading "the humans" by Matt Haig
(Just for a bit of contrast...it is terrific so far...and very funny)

appledrop · 15-07-2019 8:36pm

When all is said by Anne Griffin. Just started it but hooked so far. It's about an old man who reminises about 5 people who have had an impact on his life. I have a feeling it's a book that will have me crying.

JupiterKid · 15-07-2019 8:42pm

In One Person by John Irving, author of the 1980 bestseller and film The World According To Garp.

15-07-2019 9:10pm

I'm re-reading Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett. One of my favourites.

heldel00 · 15-07-2019 9:47pm

I'm gone buck-mad listening to audio books. Is it cheating? I feel like I'm cheating!
(Skintown was read by the author Kieran McMenamin and it was FANTASTIC.)

15-07-2019 9:53pm

heldel00 wrote: »

I'm gone buck-mad listening to audio books. Is it cheating? I feel like I'm cheating!
(Skintown was read by the author Kieran McMenamin and it was FANTASTIC.)

I'd kind of consider it cheating..

What book are you reading atm??

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