What books are we reading at the moment ?

[rafletcher]

A first for me, an Anne Cleeves’. I’ve been a fan of the “Shetland” tv series, and loathed the Rev “Vera”, with the squawking bag lady Brenda Blethyn.  So I’ve started with her latest, a new creation Matthew Venn, set in North Devon. So far so good. It may well tempt me to try the Shetland and Vera series.

[Mrs Pingu]

The Shetland books are so much better than either of the tv series. (ITV or BBC. ITV was shite)
But YMMV if you watched the tv series first.

[Mr Larrington]

Wot Mrs P said.  As to "Vera":

Rehearsals afoot for the Christmas Play
It’s called “Roll The Square Arthur” and mind what you say
It’s a cricketing farce with a thickening plot
Act One, Scene One – Brenda Blethyn gets shot

[rafletcher]

The Shetland books are so much better than either of the tv series. (ITV or BBC. ITV was shite)
But YMMV if you watched the tv series first.

I didn’t realise there was an ITV “Shetland”. I did wonder about reading the the books after having liked Douglas Henshall's Perez. But books are often very different to the tv output anyway so I’ll give them a try.

[ian]

Poundland's cheap Lynx copy

Isn't language brilliant?  How a simple combination of familiar words can bring forth hitherto unknown levels of olfactory fear...

I'm always impressed that perfumologists have managed to synthesise the pure essence of teenage male disappointment and put it in a can.

[Mr Larrington]

The Shetland books are so much better than either of the tv series. (ITV or BBC. ITV was shite)
But YMMV if you watched the tv series first.

I didn’t realise there was an ITV “Shetland”. I did wonder about reading the the books after having liked Douglas Henshall's Perez. But books are often very different to the tv output anyway so I’ll give them a try.

I don't think I ever saw the ITV one either, though the Beeb's version is actually made by ITV Studios.  The first few of the BBC ones were pretty straightforward adaptations of some of the books, albeit in a different order and with Perez' lurrrve interest Fran notably absent, but after that, as per Morse, Banks etc, they veer off into standard cop show territory.

[Mrs Pingu]

I managed half an episode of the ITV one before giving up in disgust. I know Sandy's not supposed to be the sharpest tool in the box but they had him barely able to tell which end of a pencil was which.

Oddly I can find no evidence of this ITV/STV version on the internets. Maybe I dreamed it.

[L CC]

I've listened to all the Shetland books and they're a little bit same-y by the end. Can't be that bad, though, as I listened to them all. I'm never going to Shetland now, there's at least 2 murders a book. The place is deadly!

[Kim]

Another gem from the hip book:

Apparently left-hand drive cars (like they use in ABROAD, where the FOREIGNS come from) without a clutch pedal are driven entirely with the left leg.   

[Mrs Pingu]

I've listened to all the Shetland books and they're a little bit same-y by the end.

I would say the same of most crime book series.
I should admit here that the main reason I have taken to reading crime books is because nobody else I like writes fast enough. Or they're dead.

[L CC]

I listened to all the Vera, too. Same-y murders enlivened with spot the local places and massive inaccuracies.

[rafletcher]

My thoughts on the “new” Matthew Venn series was that it was “Shetland” in north Devon. Ie the story was as formulaic as most crime fiction (of which I read a lot). But it was ok and distracting enough, if not gripping.

Now on to another similar, a Damien Boy, police procedural set around Bridgewater, Somerset.

[Steph]

I've written a couple of police procedurals, but I set them in South Wales. Mostly*. Some of that takes place in Weston Super Mud, which is as close as it gets to N Devon.

*I did succumb and do some proceeding in Crawley... but I drew the line at Croydon

[Mr Larrington]

I've listened to all the Shetland books and they're a little bit same-y by the end. Can't be that bad, though, as I listened to them all. I'm never going to Shetland now, there's at least 2 murders a book. The place is deadly!

You may go there safely as much of it is filmed, whsiper it, in mainland Scotlandshire.  The nearest to a killin' Miss von Brandenburg and I came was when a Sea Labrador called Charlie started demanding Fish With Menaces.

[mllePB]

I've listened to all the Shetland books and they're a little bit same-y by the end. Can't be that bad, though, as I listened to them all. I'm never going to Shetland now, there's at least 2 murders a book. The place is deadly!

You may go there safely as much of it is filmed, whsiper it, in mainland Scotlandshire.  The nearest to a killin' Miss von Brandenburg and I came was when a Sea Labrador called Charlie started demanding Fish With Menaces.

Nah, the books are a great read if you've ever been to Shetland because the descriptions of the locations are really evocative. The most entertaining part of the TV series was spotting which bits were filmed in the islands and which must be mainland due to the scenery just not being sufficiently wind-swept and featuring things alien to Shetland like wheelie bins or hedges.

[TheLurker]

Working my way slowly through Simons' books on sailplanes, which I have on loan, picking out potential build subjects.

[perpetual dan]

Christmas present reading is going well. I've  finished Emily Chappell's "where there's a will" (interesting, moving, well written) and now I'm on to Nan Shepherd's "The Living Mountain".

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

The latest Le Carre,

Quite polemical in parts.  Oh, all right, Very polemical in parts.. 

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Poundland's cheap Lynx copy

Isn't language brilliant?  How a simple combination of familiar words can bring forth hitherto unknown levels of olfactory fear...

I'm always impressed that perfumologists have managed to synthesise the pure essence of teenage male disappointment and put it in a can.

Yes not so much smell the fear as fear the smell.

[hatler]

Erebus by Michael Palin.

[Kim]

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

I'm about halfway in, and it's quite good...

[DaveJ]

I was OK with The Three Body Problem until about three quarters of the way through.  After that, meh!

[ian]

I don't think I finished either. Conceptually interesting but stodgily written (or translated) and well, life became too short. ETA: evidently I did finish it, but while interesting, it relies on the tolerance for dense and extended exposition, which isn't my cup of tea.

Re-reading Black Swan Green after some Christmas 80s music nostalgia wallowing (and if you grew up in the 80s, you should read it). I read somewhere that David Mitchell (not that one) is co-writing the script to the next Matrix movie (yeah, I know).

[sg37409]

Scrublands, by Chris Hammer

Nicely written thriller set in drought hit Australian outback with bush fires...
Close to the end of the book now and its very good.

[rafletcher]

Scrublands, by Chris Hammer

Nicely written thriller set in drought hit Australian outback with bush fires...
Close to the end of the book now and its very good.

I loved it, as good as Jane Harpers “The Dry”. His follow up “Silver” is published soon.