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py2006 · 26-03-2020, 20:12

Well now,

Following on from the surprising interest and genuinely great contributions from so many on here in the first thread it finally reached its capacity.

So I decided to create a fresh one and hopefully it will continue in the same vein and provide a great resource in the current climate too.

Simple rules:
1/ Title of Book
2/ Author/s
3/ Brief blurb on whats its about
4/ Would ya recommend it.

Thanks

Link to Literary Forum for more indepth discussion of any books

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=19

Berties_Horse · 26-03-2020, 20:22

'The Life Of Riley' by Anthony Cronin. A tragi-comedy about an unrepentent chancer's descent into drink-fuelled oblivion. Highly recommended for sparkling turn of phrase.

thefasteriwalk · 26-03-2020, 20:28

Last night I finished Coetzee’s ‘Waiting for the Barabrians.’ It’s my favourite of his works that I’ve read so far. Subtle but profound. Tonight I am starting Philip Roth’s alternative history ‘The Plot Against America.’ I’m looking forward to checking out the HBO adaptation when I’m finished.

branie2 · 26-03-2020, 21:08

Galway Girl, a Jack Taylor thriller, by Ken Bruen

mikhail · 26-03-2020, 21:27

Prisoners of Geography, Tim Marshall. It's reducing the foreign policy of various powers (Russia, China, US, so far) to a race to secure mountains, coasts, and navigable sea channels so they can't easily be attacked. Somewhat interesting, but feels a bit reductive.

Hello 2D Person Below · 26-03-2020, 21:39

Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield written by Jeremy Scahill. It's about the covert wars that the United States has been fighting. Excellent read and a real eye opener, even for someone that has a particular low opinion of U.S regimes. I'm on my third reading of it and still learning more and more.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15814204-dirty-wars

JohnnyFlash · 26-03-2020, 22:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Berties_Horse

'The Life Of Riley' by Anthony Cronin. A tragi-comedy about an unrepentent chancer's descent into drink-fuelled oblivion. Highly recommended for sparkling turn of phrase.

Sounds great, Bertie. I’ll have to give it a read.

Quantum Erasure · 27-03-2020, 05:20

I'm still on chapter one... haven't finished whatever it was I was reading in the last thread

gutenberg · 27-03-2020, 15:10

Getting through Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel in anticipation of the new one. Read Wolf Hall last week. I'd forgotten how good they are, and I recall liking Bring Up the Bodies even more than Wolf Hall when I read it first, so let's see if it stands up to that...

The_Kew_Tour · 27-03-2020, 16:04

Max Hastings All Hell Let Loose about WW2 was enjoyable.

Keeping with WW2 theme Hanns and Rudolf by Thomas Hardy was also decent.

ArchXStanton · 27-03-2020, 21:04

Can anyone recommend a good Terry Pratchett book? I'm here putting in an amazon book order

**quickbeam** · 27-03-2020, 21:04

Mort.

mikhail · 27-03-2020, 21:51

Mort is a good place to start - I think it's the first of the books that focus on the anthropomorphic Death.

I'm fond of Guards! Guards! too, which is the start of the Night Watch stories, which are my favourite of the strands that run through the series. In a city where crime has been legalised (and given quotas - the city's dictator is delightfully Machiavellian), the Night Watch is a defunct organisation, staffed by imbeciles and run by a jaded if capable alcoholic. The boss is always depicted in the cover art as a sort of Clint Eastwood type - possibly in reaction to the watch motto - Fabricas Diem, Pvnk. Their idealistic new recruit may be the rightful heir to the throne, and there's a plot to overthrow the dictator and install someone worse. Pratchett wrote it after thinking about the guys they always yelled for in the old movies - "Guards! Guards!"

Of the relatively stand-alone books, I adored Thief of Time. Just to give you a flavour, the lead character is a monk who practices "deja fu", which is a martial art that leaves one with the impression that one has been kicked in the head that way before. His order seems to be modelled on the Buddhists, but they worship, protect, and manipulate time. In spite of that, he derives his philosophy in life from the aphorisms of his old landlady, which he has collected in a little notebook. Lines like, "If you keep picking at that, it'll never heal" are treated with reverence. It's simultaneously sweet and funny, and a great send-up of religion. It's a fun adventure too.

andekwarhola · 27-03-2020, 23:09

Lines In The Sand - AA Gill

Your Face · 27-03-2020, 23:40

I'm a few chapters into Napoleon the Great by Andrew Roberts.

Really like it so far.

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26-03-2020, 20:12	#1
py2006 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 9,113 Adverts \| Friends	What book are you reading atm?? CHAPTER TWO Well now, Following on from the surprising interest and genuinely great contributions from so many on here in the first thread it finally reached its capacity. So I decided to create a fresh one and hopefully it will continue in the same vein and provide a great resource in the current climate too. Simple rules: 1/ Title of Book 2/ Author/s 3/ Brief blurb on whats its about 4/ Would ya recommend it. Thanks Link to Literary Forum for more indepth discussion of any books https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=19 Last edited by Ted_YNWA; 12-04-2020 at 12:09.

27-03-2020, 21:51	#13
mikhail Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 3,465 Adverts \| Friends	Mort is a good place to start - I think it's the first of the books that focus on the anthropomorphic Death. I'm fond of Guards! Guards! too, which is the start of the Night Watch stories, which are my favourite of the strands that run through the series. In a city where crime has been legalised (and given quotas - the city's dictator is delightfully Machiavellian), the Night Watch is a defunct organisation, staffed by imbeciles and run by a jaded if capable alcoholic. The boss is always depicted in the cover art as a sort of Clint Eastwood type - possibly in reaction to the watch motto - Fabricas Diem, Pvnk. Their idealistic new recruit may be the rightful heir to the throne, and there's a plot to overthrow the dictator and install someone worse. Pratchett wrote it after thinking about the guys they always yelled for in the old movies - "Guards! Guards!" Of the relatively stand-alone books, I adored Thief of Time. Just to give you a flavour, the lead character is a monk who practices "deja fu", which is a martial art that leaves one with the impression that one has been kicked in the head that way before. His order seems to be modelled on the Buddhists, but they worship, protect, and manipulate time. In spite of that, he derives his philosophy in life from the aphorisms of his old landlady, which he has collected in a little notebook. Lines like, "If you keep picking at that, it'll never heal" are treated with reverence. It's simultaneously sweet and funny, and a great send-up of religion. It's a fun adventure too. Last edited by mikhail; 27-03-2020 at 22:04.

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26-03-2020, 20:22	#2
Berties_Horse Registered User Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 3,979 Adverts \| Friends	'The Life Of Riley' by Anthony Cronin. A tragi-comedy about an unrepentent chancer's descent into drink-fuelled oblivion. Highly recommended for sparkling turn of phrase.

26-03-2020, 20:28	#3
thefasteriwalk Registered User Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 525 Adverts \| Friends	Last night I finished Coetzee’s ‘Waiting for the Barabrians.’ It’s my favourite of his works that I’ve read so far. Subtle but profound. Tonight I am starting Philip Roth’s alternative history ‘The Plot Against America.’ I’m looking forward to checking out the HBO adaptation when I’m finished.

26-03-2020, 21:08	#4
branie2 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 9,672 Adverts \| Friends	Galway Girl, a Jack Taylor thriller, by Ken Bruen

26-03-2020, 21:27	#5
mikhail Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 3,465 Adverts \| Friends	Prisoners of Geography, Tim Marshall. It's reducing the foreign policy of various powers (Russia, China, US, so far) to a race to secure mountains, coasts, and navigable sea channels so they can't easily be attacked. Somewhat interesting, but feels a bit reductive.

26-03-2020, 21:39	#6
Hello 2D Person Below Registered User Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 7,127 Adverts \| Friends	Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield written by Jeremy Scahill. It's about the covert wars that the United States has been fighting. Excellent read and a real eye opener, even for someone that has a particular low opinion of U.S regimes. I'm on my third reading of it and still learning more and more. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15814204-dirty-wars

27-03-2020, 05:20	#8
Quantum Erasure Registered User Join Date: Aug 2019 Posts: 4,466 Adverts \| Friends	I'm still on chapter one... haven't finished whatever it was I was reading in the last thread

27-03-2020, 15:10	#9
gutenberg Registered User Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 946 Adverts \| Friends	Getting through Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel in anticipation of the new one. Read Wolf Hall last week. I'd forgotten how good they are, and I recall liking Bring Up the Bodies even more than Wolf Hall when I read it first, so let's see if it stands up to that...

27-03-2020, 16:04	#10
The_Kew_Tour Registered User Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 31,373 Adverts \| Friends	Max Hastings All Hell Let Loose about WW2 was enjoyable. Keeping with WW2 theme Hanns and Rudolf by Thomas Hardy was also decent.

27-03-2020, 21:04	#11
ArchXStanton Join Date: Mar 2017 Posts: 1,894	Can anyone recommend a good Terry Pratchett book? I'm here putting in an amazon book order

27-03-2020, 21:04	#12
quickbeam Moderator Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 15,443 Adverts \| Friends Mod: Conspiracy Theories, Forum Games, ZTest	Mort.

27-03-2020, 23:09	#14
andekwarhola Registered User Join Date: Sep 2015 Posts: 4,491 Adverts \| Friends	Lines In The Sand - AA Gill

27-03-2020, 23:40	#15
Your Face Registered User Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 5,854 Adverts \| Friends	I'm a few chapters into Napoleon the Great by Andrew Roberts. Really like it so far.