What books are we reading at the moment ?

[geraldc]

Finished Dan Brown's Origin.

(click to show/hide)

It's a standard by the numbers Dan Brown book. The majority of the action takes place in 1 day. There's random air travel in a private jet to shift location, a thrilling pursuit where Langdon and the future queen of Spain flee from Bilbao to Barcelona, however they are pursued by a paid assassin in an Uber!

The plot is essentially Langdon needs to guess a 47 character password so he can get a youtube video to run. The villain turns out to be his friend's version of Siri. The red herring villain was a Spanish bishop who was only acting strangely because he was in a gay but unconsummated love affair with the king of Spain, and the king of Spain was very ill so it was stressful for everyone

Classic Dan Brown!

[T42]

Any day now he'll be appointed National Security Advisor to El Donaldo.

[Ham]

Tell me how it ends... on Kindle @ 99p at the mo https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0739S6L4B/

(To be accurate, I'm not reading it yet, but it sounds fascinating and I thought others might like the 99p-ness at the mo, just from the write up)

[Ruthie]

I just finished reading “Guards! Guards!” again. Sybil Ramkin’s concise and reasonable explanation on the difference between ‘value’ and ‘worth’ ought to be compulsory reading in schools and universities and colleges and Facebook.

[Robh]

I've just finished 'The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal' by David E Hoffman. Highly recommended. Meticulously researched, well put-together, and full of insight into how both sides operate. Also, it's a very sympathetic portrait of the main character, from a difficult vantage point.

[Legs]

Just about to embark on Battlefield Earth by the legendary L. Ron Hubbard, fully expecting it to be totally shit.  I detest nearly all sf, but I found this doorstop of a book at my in-laws and thought that the first couple of chapters wouldn't be a complete waste of time.  I've looked at some of the reviews online, and the only positive ones seem to be from Scientologist fruitcakes.  Watch this space.

I guess somebody had to so that the rest of us are spared the experience.

I enjoyed it so much that I've read it three or four times now.

I'll concede that's it's probably not actually a good book per se but it's fun bombastic space opera.

There truly is no accounting for taste.  I survived 7 pages of execrable tosh and never want to see it again.

[Steph]

I just finished reading “Guards! Guards!” again. Sybil Ramkin’s concise and reasonable explanation on the difference between ‘value’ and ‘worth’ ought to be compulsory reading in schools and universities and colleges and Facebook.

There is a comment from Sam Vimes in 'Jingo', which is something that should be broadcast generally.

Sam is a police chief, and is in a cabinet meeting of army commanders discussing a possible war. One of them complains to him that he is talking like a civilian.

"That is the whole point", says the policeman.

[Riggers]

Tim Moore's Gironimo! And has had me laughing at some of the incidents! And too, it's a big fat book – so plenty to read.

[Steph]

The Italian ride, on the antique bike? Got it on kindle, to dip into every so often

[Riggers]

The Italian ride, on the antique bike? Got it on kindle, to dip into every so often

Yes it is Steph, and jolly funny I think.

[Ham]

Tell me how it ends... on Kindle @ 99p at the mo https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0739S6L4B/

(To be accurate, I'm not reading it yet, but it sounds fascinating and I thought others might like the 99p-ness at the mo, just from the write up)

Well, I won't be able to tell you how this book ends, at least for a while, having ground to a 75% halt. All very interesting and worthy stuff I'm sure, as I didn't know the problem of child migrants from central America existed. All capable of being condensed into a couple of thousand word article. I'll probably finish it sometime, just because, but it is a bit turgid.

[Canardly]

Trying to read Monte Walsh by Jack Schaefer but its out of print and silly prices second hand.

[rafletcher]

Trying to read Monte Walsh by Jack Schaefer but its out of print and silly prices second hand.

One to buy and resell perhaps?

[Canardly]

WH Smith have indicated a new print soon.

[Riggers]

Trying to read Monte Walsh by Jack Schaefer but its out of print and silly prices second hand.

Intrigued by this, I looked it up and thought, this might deserve a read! Comparisons are made between this and Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, which I thought I'd read (but hadn't) and was confusing it with one I have! Which is White Doves at Morning by James Lee Burke. A superb story woven around the time of the American Civil War. I won't go into detail about it. Chaps can have more fun looking it up for themselves!

[Mr Larrington]

After finally getting through all three thousand pages of The Baroque Cycle, a little light relief in the form of What Does This Button Do?, the autobiography of poet, soldier of fortune, airline pilot, swordsman and part-time Met'l Mayhem Merchant Bruce Dickinson.  Quite an entertaining read, though I am mortified by his opinion that Samson drummer Barry "Thunderstick" Purkiss wasn't actually very good, and diskard his view that "Shock Tactics" is a better album than "Head On", because it isn't.

Note to self: get new Stuart MacBride before embarking on journey saaarf of the river this evening.

[Paul]

The Oddessy. Not as good as The Iliad.

Second album syndrome?

And finished.

Actually, it got brilliant. The last third or quarter turns into high noon and culminates in a massive scrap.

Really very worthwhile.

[Steph]

The last two posts, from Mr L and Paul, oddly, both involve axes...

[Wascally Weasel]

4 3 2 1 by Paul Auster.  It's great (so far, although I'm only 67 pages in and there's 1003 to go...

(It's unusually long for an Auster novel but I gather that the story structure justifies the length) 

[pcolbeck]

The Celts - Alice Roberts

A good up to date round up on the Celts.

[harvey]

Underground Railroad - Colson Whitehead

Should be a textbook for American white kids; and required reading by their parents

[Paul]

The last two posts, from Mr L and Paul, oddly, both involve axes...

Sharp of you to pick up on that.

[Mr Larrington]

New Stuart MacBride - Now We Are Dead - is shaping up quite nicely as an everyday story of policing Furryboottoon.  The weather is good too, but it's all Steel.  Logan McCrae wanders in from time to time, realises he's in the wrong book and buggers off again, and not many killin's, and no Reuben Kennedy.

[Mr Larrington]

Insidious Intent, number ten in Val McDermid's Tony Hill & Carol Jordan series.  1/3 of the way though and only one killin' but there's another one imminent.

[Mr Larrington]

Insidious Intent, number ten in Val McDermid's Tony Hill & Carol Jordan series.  1/3 of the way though and only one killin' but there's another one imminent.

Well, that was a bit unexpected, but La McDermid says in the Afterword that I'm not allowed to say any more.