What book are you reading atm?? CHAPTER TWO

EmmetSpiceland · 08-09-2020 12:10pm

Finished ‘Universal Harvester’ by John Darnielle. It’s a good book but the blurb is incredibly misleading.

Sells the it as a “horror”, and while it’s certainly unnerving and creepy in parts, it’s a really more of a mystery.

A young lad working in a video shop gets told by a couple of patrons that there’s some weird stuff on the cassettes. He has a look and sees short, strange, homemade “scenes” spliced into the films and it goes from there.

I enjoyed it, regardless of the possible issue of false advertising. Well, once I got past that long, boring, chunk in the middle. It’s a decent enough story and it’s well written, just could have been very different.

breezy1985 · 08-09-2020 5:48pm

bertiebomber wrote: »

its factual and gives insight to the character, ambition and the duplicity of Leopold . He was worse than hitler and its cloaked over to be honest a hidden secret.

The Belgian wing of BLM are gunning for his legacy big time and rightly so by the sounds of it.

Im currently reading "A tall man in a low land" by Harry Pearson if you want to follow it up with a less heavy take on Belgian culture

pavb2 · 08-09-2020 6:07pm

Just finished An Innocent Man by John Grisham a work of non-fiction . Very unsettling how circumstances and incompetent police And DPP can put a man on death row.

Also watched it on Netflix where it goes into more detail about another two Men charged by The same police and prosecuted by same DPP, chances are They are also innocent but still in prison after 30 years

JasonStatham · 10-09-2020 10:04pm

I finished Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold. Much better than Shards of Honor, the first book in the Vorkosigan Saga.

Started the Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. It's going great so far.

Still can't get back to Echoes of an Alien Sky...It's such tough going.

Foweva Awone · 10-09-2020 10:40pm

Just finished "Conversations With Friends" by Sally Rooney, author of "Normal People" (which I have not yet read.)

Would not recommend. It was unenjoyable, tedious, dissatisfying, and painfully predictable. And not half as intelligent as it's probably supposed to be.

megaten · 11-09-2020 10:16am

Foweva Awone wrote: »

Just finished "Conversations With Friends" by Sally Rooney, author of "Normal People" (which I have not yet read.)

Would not recommend. It was unenjoyable, tedious, dissatisfying, and painfully predictable. And not half as intelligent as it's probably supposed to be.

Heard its a mistake to read over normal people because entire characters are essentially a first draft for their normal people version.

appledrop · 11-09-2020 10:22am

Foweva Awone wrote: »

Just finished "Conversations With Friends" by Sally Rooney, author of "Normal People" (which I have not yet read.)

Would not recommend. It was unenjoyable, tedious, dissatisfying, and painfully predictable. And not half as intelligent as it's probably supposed to be.

I started this + thought it was a load of pretentious nonsense + like something a college student would write( no disrespect to students you know what I mean)

Don't know why I bought it. I will read it as very short but I'd say it will be a bore fest. I didnt even think Normal People was that great as characters were never truly believable until I seen the amazing programme bbc managed to produce.

Very rare for me that film better than a book but certainly the case in this instance.

growleaves · 11-09-2020 10:33am

'The Renaissance' by Walter Pater. Old book written by a 19th century art critic.

Recommended. It's only 200 pages, sort of a gloss rather than a comprehensive history. Good insights.

bertiebomber · 11-09-2020 10:44am

appledrop wrote: »

I started this + thought it was a load of pretentious nonsense + like something a college student would write( no disrespect to students you know what I mean)

Don't know why I bought it. I will read it as very short but I'd say it will be a bore fest. I didnt even think Normal People was that great as characters were never truly believable until I seen the amazing programme bbc managed to produce.

Very rare for me that film better than a book but certainly the case in this instance.

Angst is a very boring subject in a book its best served on a tv programme!

Mars Bar · 11-09-2020 10:45am

Turtles All The Way Down - John Green

Just started it last night so not much to say about it yet

I finished The Templars: The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors by Dan Jones and what I will say is that you need to not be distracted whilst reading it.

Barna77 · 11-09-2020 12:42pm

Finished Dracula.

I had read it many years ago and I had loved it. This time I read it in English. The second half felt to drag on, and the end rushed in a few pages. Didn't like Mina on the second half either. For a strong woman with "a man's brain" she was quite happy to be the damsel in distress protected by them brave men.

TheRepentent · 11-09-2020 2:24pm

Reading the long earth by Terry Pratchet And Stephen Baxter..easy readand enjoyable enough.

Also Reading V forVendetta , the graphic nove(do they count?

)l. Good as well only ever having seen the movie

quickbeam · 11-09-2020 2:32pm

The Long Earth was interesting. I hope you enjoy it.

Of course graphic novels count!

TheRepentent · 11-09-2020 2:52pm

quickbeam wrote: »

The Long Earth was interesting. I hope you enjoy it.

Of course graphic novels count!

It is interesting and you can see Terry Pratchets comdey genius in it too

Alejandro68 · 11-09-2020 6:36pm

Ten Men Dead: The Story of the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike by David Beresford, Peter Maas. It is very tragic and infuriating at the same time so far.

LillyLin · 11-09-2020 6:42pm

The Nickel Boys
by American novelist Colson Whitehead
It was based on the real story of the Dozier School
I just started reading
as I finish reading I will update my comment))

Tauriel · 13-09-2020 3:41pm

The Note Through the Wire by Doug Gold.

It was alright. Based around the true story of how the authors parents in-law met. I found myself being more interested in Josefine's partisan exploits than anything else.

Loafing Oaf · 19-09-2020 1:34pm

In the Shadow of Vesuvius: A Life of Pliny by Daisy Dunn

Actually a sort of interwoven life of the two Plinys

Must-read for other ancient history buffs

Tigerbaby · 19-09-2020 3:48pm

breezy1985 wrote: »

Small God's might be his best book in the series standalone or otherwise.

Unrelated to Prachett I would highly recommend the recently deceased Carlos Ruiz Zafons series Cemetery of Forgotten Books which begins with "Shadow of the Wind" outside of a cracking story the man had a real love for books

Breezy,

How many times can I thank you for recommending "Shadow of the Wind".

Dear Mother of God, incredible.

reminds me of when I encountered "100 years of solitude" for the first time.

Tigerbaby

breezy1985 · 19-09-2020 3:51pm

Tigerbaby wrote: »

Breezy,

How many times can I thank you for recommending "Shadow of the Wind".

Dear Mother of God, incredible.

reminds me of when I encountered "100 years of solitude" for the first time.

Tigerbaby

“Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens.”

Tigerbaby · 19-09-2020 3:57pm

I suspect (know) that there will be many re-reads for me. This is such rich soup to taste slowly and savour each mouthful.

Must re-read "Ghosts of Spain" again. "Shadow of the Wind" has re-kindled my interest in the Civil War.

breezy1985 · 19-09-2020 4:06pm

Tigerbaby wrote: »

I suspect (know) that there will be many re-reads for me. This is such rich soup to taste slowly and savour each mouthful.

Must re-read "Ghosts of Spain" again. "Shadow of the Wind" has re-kindled my interest in the Civil War.

Another fine book. Im just about to start "Farewell Spain" written by Limericks Kate O'Brien about her experiences in Spain in the 30s and also written to raise awareness and money for the republic during the civil war.

And lucky you theres still the 3 sequels to Shadow to get through

Barna77 · 19-09-2020 4:59pm

Tigerbaby wrote: »

Must re-read "Ghosts of Spain" again. "Shadow of the Wind" has re-kindled my interest in the Civil War.

Is that the one by the former Guardian correspondent in Spain?

Check out The Spanish Holocaust, by Paul Preston.
God it was a harrowing read. So many things I didn't know about the war.

There's a mention of what happened to a woman who had made a republican flag.
My grandparents are dead so I never had a chance to ask them about their memories of the war. I asked my father and he told me the story of a girl friend of my grandmother who had made a flag... little did I know that she was the woman in the book!

bnt · 19-09-2020 5:05pm

Loafing Oaf wrote: »

The doctor-turned-comedian/comedy writer seems to be a thing in the UK: Phil Hammond, Paul Sinha, Harry Hill. I wonder is a medical career a different sort of 'ghetto' that these guys are desperate to escape from...

In an ironic twist, I finished This Is Going To Hurt in hospital, while recovering from surgery on my right eye last weekend. You only need one eye to read a book on a screen, thankfully. I also finished God, No! by Penn Jillette, which I had started earlier but got distracted from. Despite the title, religion (or lack thereof) is only part of the book - an early section is about how he accidentally became a mentor to several people who were struggling with their religious upbringing - but it also has many anecdotes, such as developing an appreciation for Richard Nixon's sense of humour, and a particularly intimate mishap with a hair dryer.

So I've been off work, meaning more time to read, so I tackled Dad Is Fat by Jim Gaffigan. He's since written a sequel, simply called Food, which I skimmed and don't think I need to read in full. With the new Dune movie coming up, I think I need to reacquaint myself with the original book.

Gervais08 · 19-09-2020 5:30pm

Got both John Bercow’s memoir and the new Strike novel by Galbraith aka Rowling.

Looking forward to both!!

breezy1985 · 19-09-2020 5:44pm

Barna77 wrote: »

Is that the one by the former Guardian correspondent in Spain?

Check out The Spanish Holocaust, by Paul Preston.
God it was a harrowing read. So many things I didn't know about the war.

There's a mention of what happened to a woman who had made a republican flag.
My grandparents are dead so I never had a chance to ask them about their memories of the war. I asked my father and he told me the story of a girl friend of my grandmother who had made a flag... little did I know that she was the woman in the book!

I had a friend whos grandmother wrote a book about her childhood where her family fled civil war Spain around 37 for the safety of her mothers home town in Germany. Real out of the frying pan stuff. Sadly the book is only in Spanish and German

Tauriel · 19-09-2020 6:47pm

Gervais08 wrote: »

the new Strike novel by Galbraith aka Rowling.

Looking forward to both!!

Got this myself yesterday as well. It's a monster of a book :eek:

Alejandro68 · 19-09-2020 10:24pm

Peter Freestone's cookbook. Some very tasty dishes I must try.

Barna77 · 20-09-2020 4:44pm

Back on the Spanish civil war, I forgot to mention that I started reading last week For Whom the Bell Tolls.
I'm not getting into it. Hope it gets better.

Gervais08 · 20-09-2020 4:45pm

mustang shelly wrote: »

Got this myself yesterday as well. It's a monster of a book :eek:

Oh it’s a biggun!!!!

breezy1985 · 20-09-2020 6:48pm

Barna77 wrote: »

Back on the Spanish civil war, I forgot to mention that I started reading last week For Whom the Bell Tolls.
I'm not getting into it. Hope it gets better.

He is the most overrated writer I have come across and a twat of a person too

EmmetSpiceland · 20-09-2020 6:54pm

‘The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939’ by Antony Beevor is a good read on the subject. Bit of a “tome” but very well done.

mariaalice · 20-09-2020 10:08pm

Dark Beauty: Hidden Detail in Harry Clarke’s Stained Glass. I got it for my birthday.

Its more a flicking through book as opposed to reading from beginning to end.

Foweva Awone · 21-09-2020 1:07pm

I'm reading a book that was actually recommended to me by my psychiatrist!! "In The Realm Of Hungry Ghosts" by Dr Gabor Mate. It's probably the best book about addiction I've ever read ... Would highly recommend for anyone who'd like to understand addiction better.

JasonStatham · 21-09-2020 1:09pm

Ride the Wind by Lucia St Clair Robson

It's about Native Americans. The first few chapters are pretty graphic, yeah...not for the faint hearted.

Mars Bar · 21-09-2020 2:22pm

Mars Bar wrote: »

Turtles All The Way Down - John Green

Just started it last night so not much to say about it yet

I finished The Templars: The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors by Dan Jones and what I will say is that you need to not be distracted whilst reading it.

An easy read. Not taxing. Not mind blowing either.

A third of the way through Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. I like it so far even though I'm finding it hard to picture the environment or surroundings.

TheRepentent · 21-09-2020 7:35pm

JasonStatham wrote: »

Ride the Wind by Lucia St Clair Robson

It's about Native Americans. The first few chapters are pretty graphic, yeah...not for the faint hearted.

IS it fiction ? I read ages ago a book called Bury my heart at Wounded Knee...was non fiction but man it was tough going.What happened to the Indians was shocking.Custer was a scumbag.

A few funny things in it as well. An indian Chief was asked to speak to congress and some poor old indian tracker in the yankee army had to translate for him.....the Chieftan insulted the Congressmen and the translator was telling them the cheiftan was happy to see them etc.

For anyone interested :
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/76401.Bury_My_Heart_at_Wounded_Knee

JasonStatham · 21-09-2020 7:52pm

TheRepentent wrote: »

IS it fiction ? I read ages ago a book called Bury my heart at Wounded Knee...was non fiction but man it was tough going.What happened to the Indians was shocking.Custer was a scumbag.

A few funny things in it as well. An indian Chief was asked to speak to congress and some poor old indian tracker in the yankee army had to translate for him.....the Chieftan insulted the Congressmen and the translator was telling them the cheiftan was happy to see them etc.

For anyone interested :
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/76401.Bury_My_Heart_at_Wounded_Knee

I think it's based on a true story, but the book itself is a novel.

I think I'll tackle that book you mentioned as my next read. Cheers.

Buford T. Justice XIX · 21-09-2020 9:38pm

JasonStatham wrote: »

I think it's based on a true story, but the book itself is a novel.

I think I'll tackle that book you mentioned as my next read. Cheers.

Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne is the same story but from the the Parker family perspective. It give a good account of the Indian wars and the decline of the Native American tribes as well as the search for Cynthia Ann Parker.

bnt · 24-09-2020 5:57pm

I’ve just started reading The Guns Of August, by Barbara Tuchman, which describes the first month of World War I and the events leading up to it. It was in the first month that the pattern for the rest of the war was mostly set, with some exceptions such as the development of air power.

It’s a thoroughly-researched book but a very readable one, with the author not above some pointed language, at one point describing Czarina Alexandra Fedorovna of Russia as “strong-willed but slow-witted”, and Czar Nicholas II isn’t spared her disapproval either. The book won a Pulitzer Prize and sold very well, with some masterful prose such as this:

Old Field Marshal Moltke in 1890 foretold that the next war might last seven years—or thirty—because the resources of a modern state were so great it would not know itself to be beaten after a single military defeat and would not give up. His nephew and namesake who succeeded Schlieffen as Chief of Staff also had moments when he saw the truth as clearly. In a moment of heresy to Clausewitz, he said to the Kaiser in 1906, “It will be a national war which will not be settled by a decisive battle but by a long wearisome struggle with a country that will not be overcome until its whole national force is broken, and a war which will utterly exhaust our own people, even if we are victorious.” It went against human nature, however—and the nature of General Staffs—to follow through the logic of his own prophecy. Amorphous and without limits, the concept of a long war could not be scientifically planned for as could the orthodox, predictable, and simple solution of decisive battle and a short war. The younger Moltke was already Chief of Staff when he made his prophecy, but neither he nor his Staff, nor the Staff of any other country, ever made any effort to plan for a long war. Besides the two Moltkes, one dead and the other infirm of purpose, some military strategists in other countries glimpsed the possibility of prolonged war, but all preferred to believe, along with the bankers and industrialists, that because of the dislocation of economic life a general European war could not last longer than three or four months. One constant among the elements of 1914—as of any era—was the disposition of everyone on all sides not to prepare for the harder alternative, not to act upon what they suspected to be true.

Dial Hard · 30-09-2020 3:29pm

I've slightly lost the run of myself with books over the past while and have spent almost €700 on Book Depository since March

Some day when I've a spare hour I'll go through everything I've read but I'm currently about 150 pages into Mordew by Alex Pheby. It's strange but enjoyable, definite Jack Vance meets Philip Pullman meets Neil Gaiman meets Nick Harkaway vibes off it.

In the to-be-read pile then are:

The Dispossessed, Ursula K. Le Guin
Who Fears Death, Nnedi Okorafor
Dark Tales, Shirley Jackson
We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson
Women Talking, Miriam Toews
Future Home of the Living God, Louise Erdich
Looking Glass, Christina Henry
The Power, Naomi Alderman
Zombie, Joyce Carol Oates
Invisible Women, Caroline Criado Perez
Four Tales, Philip Pullman
Severance, Ling Ma

If it wasn't for my pesky job, I'd fly through these!

Tauriel · 30-09-2020 5:37pm

Dial Hard wrote: »

I've slightly lost the run of myself with books over the past while and have spent almost €700 on Book Depository since March

Lowplex Books are great for buying entire series together. I bought the Egyptian series by Wilbur Smith off them recently enough and although I had to pay €10 shipping, it still came in at about €20/30 cheaper than Book Depository plus they had the last book in the series included while the BD book set did not include it.

Although the free shipping is what would make me buy individual books off of Book Depository.

Dial Hard · 30-09-2020 5:43pm

Never heard of that site, I'll check it out. I get the serious guilts about Book Depository cause it's all just lining Bezos' pockets but they're just so cheap. I ordered two books from Kenny's in Galway at the start of lockdown just to support them but they were literally twice the price of BD and took foreverrrrrrrrrrr to arrive.

Tauriel · 30-09-2020 5:54pm

It was a complete fluke that I found Lowplex Books. Another boardsie recommended the books to me and I was all set to buy them off Book Depository but I just googled Egyptian series Wilbur Smith to get the names of all the books and up popped Lowplex.

I actually did the same as well. Ordered a few books off of Kenny's at the start of lock down but I am hoping that Book Shop reopens in Douglas Village Shopping Centre when they have finished rebuilding the car park that caught fire. They had some great bargains with some books starting from €2.99.

gutenberg · 30-09-2020 10:20pm

Started Robert Harris' The Second Sleep. Has me hooked so far...

New Home · 30-09-2020 10:34pm

Dial Hard wrote: »

Never heard of that site, I'll check it out. I get the serious guilts about Book Depository cause it's all just lining Bezos' pockets but they're just so cheap. I ordered two books from Kenny's in Galway at the start of lockdown just to support them but they were literally twice the price of BD and took foreverrrrrrrrrrr to arrive.

mustang shelly wrote: »

It was a complete fluke that I found Lowplex Books. Another boardsie recommended the books to me and I was all set to buy them off Book Depository but I just googled Egyptian series Wilbur Smith to get the names of all the books and up popped Lowplex.

I actually did the same as well. Ordered a few books off of Kenny's at the start of lock down but I am hoping that Book Shop reopens in Douglas Village Shopping Centre when they have finished rebuilding the car park that caught fire. They had some great bargains with some books starting from €2.99.

As real life bookshops go, Chapters is my absolute favourite, the prices are always excellent, too. That's the one thing I miss the most because of Covid.

gutenberg · 30-09-2020 11:19pm

I would really recommend Wordery.com if you’re looking for a way to avoid Amazon/Book Depository. Free worldwide delivery & their prices are generally good - many are just a couple of pence dearer than Amazon, though of course it depends on what you’re looking for. Quick dispatch and delivery. They seem to have something of a reduced selection at the moment due to the coronavirus crisis, but I’d still thoroughly recommend them.

JohnnyFlash · 30-09-2020 11:29pm

gutenberg wrote: »

Started Robert Harris' The Second Sleep. Has me hooked so far...

Harris is a great man for writing historical thrillers.

The Shardlake series are also great easy reading historical whodunnits set in the era of Henry the 8th, Thomas Cromwell etc.

KH25 · 01-10-2020 8:09am

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Harris is a great man for writing historical thrillers.

The Shardlake series are also great easy reading historical whodunnits set in the era of Henry the 8th, Thomas Cromwell etc.

I’ve heard great things about that series and keep meaning to pick the first one up.

Currently reading the invention of sound by Chuck Pahlaniuk.

fixXxer · 01-10-2020 9:44am

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Harris is a great man for writing historical thrillers.

The Shardlake series are also great easy reading historical whodunnits set in the era of Henry the 8th, Thomas Cromwell etc.

I enjoyed his books. The Stalin/USSR one was great. Didn't he write fatherland too?

What book are you reading atm?? CHAPTER TWO

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