This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

Foweva Awone · 26-06-2019 8:16am

GRACKEA wrote: »

I just finished the Country Girls trilogy by Edna O Brien. Oh my god I tore through them in 5 days. The characters and situations were so accurate and believable that I put the book down numerous times feeling second hand emotions and anxiety.

I feel like leaving my partner, getting sterilized, and living the rest of my life as a "savage". I want to read everything the author's ever written.

*orders books*

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 26-06-2019 12:39pm

GRACKEA wrote: »

I feel like leaving my partner, getting sterilized, and living the rest of my life as a "savage". I want to read everything the author's ever written.

They should put that quote on the cover!

Callan57 · 28-06-2019 12:01am

Xofpod wrote: »

Interested to hear your opinion. I'm a big fan but Beatlebone just didn't click for me. Might give it another go though.

It's superb, very dark & oddly funny ... well not "oddly" it is Kevin Barry after all. He is just getting better & better.

minnow · 10-07-2019 4:36pm

The Shipping News, by Annie Proulx

Joe_ Public · 10-07-2019 4:53pm

minnow wrote: »

The Shipping News, by Annie Proulx

Love Annie Proulx.

Callan57 · 10-07-2019 6:53pm

Finished The Gamal by Ciaran Collins ... very, very impressed, both heartbreaking & funny & very original writing style which I loved.

Currently reading Different Class by Joanne Harris & listening to Colum McCann's Dancer on audio ... not simultaneously of course.

Daisies · 10-07-2019 9:49pm

Daisies wrote: »

About half way through A Little Life and really enjoying it

Finished A Little Life. Loved it, heart wrenching, beautifully written. Started on The Bean Tree by Barbara Kingsolver.

KJ · 11-07-2019 11:19pm

Just started The Call Of The Wild by Jack London.

eire4 · 12-07-2019 4:49pm

Finished Violin by Anne Rice. One of her stand alone books but still classic Anne Rice.

Callan57 · 12-07-2019 7:15pm

Just picked up Shadowplay by Joseph O'Connor from the library ... weekend sorted!

Oops69 · 14-07-2019 6:45pm

Half way through the Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov, apparently Elon Musk's favourite book, its very apparent why from the technological prophesy to the political intrigue .

Xofpod · 16-07-2019 1:13pm

Normal People, by Sally Rooney.
Had been put off by the god awful " Salinger for the Instagram generation" sh1te but I found it be a brilliant read.

New Home · 22-07-2019 8:59pm

They are making it into a film at the moment.

Callan57 · 22-07-2019 9:14pm

Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson ... a hundred pages in & not loving it to be honest

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 23-07-2019 1:38am

New Home wrote: »

They are making it into a film at the moment.

Think it's a TV series rather than a film.

Xofpod · 23-07-2019 10:24am

Spill Simmer Falter Wither, by Sara Baume, and There There, Tommy Orange

New Home · 23-07-2019 11:51pm

Xofpod wrote: »

Spill Simmer Falter Wither, by Sara Baume, and There There, Tommy Orange

I'm reading that too, ATM. Gorgeous.

miamee · 24-07-2019 11:40am

rading The Rosie Project at the moment, a nice, easy read.

Blazedup · 24-07-2019 1:47pm

Star of the Sea

is_that_so · 24-07-2019 1:50pm

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. Superb book and Pulitzer winner in 2017.

Wyldwood · 25-07-2019 11:07am

is_that_so wrote: »

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. Superb book and Pulitzer winner in 2017.

I've just finished this also, been on my TBR pile for a while. Great read with excellent character development.

miamee · 25-07-2019 11:44am

I've also just started Period Power by Maisie Hill which looks like it could be very educational.

eire4 · 26-07-2019 6:48pm

Blazedup wrote: »

Star of the Sea

What did you think of it? personally I liked it. Thought it was very good and well written by Joseph O'Connor.

New Home · 28-07-2019 3:52pm

I'm reading "The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto" by Mitch Albom (his "The Next Person You Meet in Heaven", which I had read just before this, wasn't up to his usual standards, IMO) - not bad, but not mindblowingly good, so far, but I'm in a hurry to finish it because I need to return it to the Library by Friday. I'm also still reading "My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises" by Fredrik Backman, "Spill Simmer Falter Wither" by Sarah Baume, and "Dilbert 2.0" by Scott Adams, and I've more waiting for me. I pick one up and leave the others depending on what mood I'm in, what room I'm in, or where I'm going. It's like a smörgåsbord of stories!

Callan57 · 28-07-2019 7:02pm

Just starting into The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

pavb2 · 29-07-2019 7:50pm

eire4 wrote: »

What did you think of it? personally I liked it. Thought it was very good and well written by Joseph O'Connor.

Yes, I read Star of the Sea a few years ago and just took it out for another re-read.

pavb2 · 29-07-2019 8:05pm

Constantinople: The Last Great Siege - Roger Crowley

This is one of the best works of historical fiction which gives an account of the fall of the Byzantine capital Constantinople. The narrative is engaging and the characters, political subterfuge, sub-plots such as the miners, the navies, the walls, construction of the massive guns and the sheer effort and methods employed by Mehmet, the Ottoman Sultan to capture the city makes it a real page turner.

There's also so much scope for discussion especiallly with respect to the 'what if's' of history.

With all the remakes of films nowadays and success of TV programmes like Games of Thrones I am suprised that this has never been brought to the screen, the story is already there and the CGI would be so impressive.

The strange thing for me is that having read the book many times and knowing the final outcome I'm still rooting for the besieged Byzantians, hoping that I might have missed a chapter or two and that they do prevail.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0571221866?_encoding=UTF8&isInIframe=0&n=266239&ref_=dp_proddesc_0&s=books&showDetailProductDesc=1#product-description_feature_div

Synopsis

In the spring of 1453, the Ottoman Turks advanced on Constantinople in pursuit of an ancient Islamic dream: capturing the thousand-year-old capital of Christian Byzantium. During the siege that followed, a small band of defenders, outnumbered ten to one, confronted the might of the Ottoman army in an epic contest fought on land, sea and underground.

pavb2 · 29-07-2019 8:31pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Am reading Troubles by J.G. Farrell, one of the empire trilogy, a series which focuses on the disintegration of the British Empire.

Have to admit that I had never heard of him or his books but I note that the second book in this trilogy, The Siege of Krishnapur, won the booker prize in 1973.

I am only a few pages in but so far this books is set in a crumbling hotel in Wexford in 1919 and is quite funny!

I think I'll enjoy these books.

I think you will as well, the humour is very subtle and there aren't many books like Troubles which tell the story of the Anglo English in Ireland. I'm not sure how satirical the books are meant to be they deserve some analysis for the hidden messages (if there are any). For example is the hotel an analogy for the decline of the British Empire?

The Siege of Krisnapur has some great scenes such as the use of the silver cutlery.

You, do wonder why his books aren't more popular as stated it's a shame JG Farrell died so relatively young and in such tragic circumstances, RTE did a podcast documentary on his time in Ireland link below.

https://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/2010/1207/646580-radio-documentary-jg-farrell-booker-author-drowned/

29-07-2019 9:43pm

pavb2 wrote: »

I think you will as well, the humour is very subtle and there aren't many books like Troubles which tell the story of the Anglo English in Ireland. I'm not sure how satirical the books are meant to be they deserve some analysis for the hidden messages (if there are any). For example is the hotel an analogy for the decline of the British Empire?

The Siege of Krisnapur has some great scenes such as the use of the silver cutlery.

You, do wonder why his books aren't more popular as stated it's a shame JG Farrell died so relatively young and in such tragic circumstances, RTE did a podcast documentary on his time in Ireland link below.

https://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/2010/1207/646580-radio-documentary-jg-farrell-booker-author-drowned/

I wondered the same about the hotel. Hotel sounds huge and amazing and it's a shame it doesn't exist as I love exploring abandoned places!

I've kind of put it down for a while as I've felt it wasn't going anywhere, but my free time has been scarce lately so I'll look forward to diving in again. There's not too many breaks in the narrative so I think it needs longer reads.

helenawalsh · 31-07-2019 1:04pm

I read The Baltimore Boys by Joel Dicker last month, highly recommend. Currently reading The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory

This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

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