Author Topic: What books are we reading at the moment ? (Read 842877 times)

rafletcher · « **Reply #5900 on:** 14 January, 2020, 12:50:22 pm »

Quote from: sg37409 on 10 January, 2020, 12:27:08 pm

Between the Stops by Sandi Toksvig. Very pleasant read.

Interesting, neither my wife or myself got more than 20 pages in. Had it been an audio book read by herself, I think we would both of enjoyed it.

Having finished "Forty Words for Sorrow", which was perfectly acceptable (so much so I bought the next 2 Cardinal books off eBay) I've started on Anne Cleeves "The Crow Trap".

That was the first of the "Vera" TV series stories, and I recall loathing it almost immediately, despite (she is a great actress), and because of Brenda Blethyn's character portrayal. (I read at the weekend that it's hugely popular, with 8 million watching per episode, and it gets sold abroad a lot). Unlike with Cardinal, I sincerely hope not to put Blethyn's voice to the character in the book.

L CC · « **Reply #5901 on:** 14 January, 2020, 01:16:59 pm »

Quote from: rafletcher on 14 January, 2020, 12:50:22 pm

I sincerely hope not to put Blethyn's voice to the character in the book.

Try this

Quote from: rafletcher on 14 January, 2020, 12:50:22 pm

Interesting, neither my wife or myself got more than 20 pages in. Had it been an audio book read by herself, I think we would both of enjoyed it.

I sense a pattern

I still (STILL! How many years is it now?) can't read. Obviously I can read, but I can't read a book, I can't focus/ concentrate for long enough. I've tried easing in with short stories, children's books, it just hasn't worked. Audible has been a godsend. /endadvert

rafletcher · « **Reply #5902 on:** 14 January, 2020, 04:57:02 pm »

My wife reads a lot, but also uses Audible (and Borrowbox, which is part of Herts library services). The audio books are for at night - as part of her bipolar she has "sticky thoughts" as she describes it, and a soothing voice helps keep them at bay during the hours of darkness.

rafletcher · « **Reply #5903 on:** 17 January, 2020, 11:44:01 am »

Well I gave up 300 pages into "The Crow Trap". Not becauseof the portrayal of Vera per se, jut a general lack of believability for me in the whole procedure. I'll trt Anne Cleeves again with the Shetland series.

Today I shall collect the latest of Barbara Nadel's Cetin Ickman stories, "A Knife to the Heart".

ETA oops, I've read that one, so on to a new Peter May, “A Silent Death”, a new standalone.

fd3 · « **Reply #5904 on:** 20 January, 2020, 11:42:05 pm »

Quote from: fboab on 14 January, 2020, 01:16:59 pm

I can't focus/ concentrate for long enough. I've tried easing in with short stories, children's books, it just hasn't worked.

I think that short stories are harder on the system - comparing for example Bradbury's short stories with "Johnathan Strange and Mr Norrell", the second is much easier to read, I found I was easily thinking "just 100 pages tonight" where the short stories were closer to 10 (one story). Maybe some Neil Gaiman? Ocean at the end of the lane, or Coraline?

Legs · « **Reply #5905 on:** 21 January, 2020, 11:06:45 am »

I'm reading Sai King's Wind Through The Keyhole, which is a story within a story within a story. It seems to be piggybacking somewhat from the over-arching Dark Tower setting - I'm into the thrust of the main story of Tim Ross now, and it's good enough to stand as a novella in its own right.

rafletcher · « **Reply #5906 on:** 22 January, 2020, 07:49:05 am »

Finished "A silent Death" by Peter May. Unengaging and simplistic. How he can trot that after the Lewis trilogy I don't know.

Now onto "Silver" by Chris Hammer, again featuring Martin Scarsden, the journalist protagonist from (the excellent) first novel "Scrublands".

fd3 · « **Reply #5907 on:** 24 January, 2020, 11:30:25 pm »

A similar experience to the above.
Juniper Time by Kate Wilhelm; the previous book of hers that I read "where late the sweet birds sang" was stunning, what other writers would have made into a 3000 page trilogy she delivered convincingly in one book, with each section interesting, readable and ending well.
In contrast, "Juniper Time" is heavy going, you don't really get where you're going with the story for most of it, the characters aren't likable, it's got lots of "filler", magic injuns, unpleasantness that isn't essential to the story (in fact lots of stuff that isn't important to the story) and I DNFed with about 20 pages to go (of 280) - life is too short. I skimmed the ending, it's not only "not good", it makes me feal worse about suffering through the rest of the book.

Asterix, the former Gaul. · « **Reply #5908 on:** 25 January, 2020, 06:41:18 am »

A Rebel In Fleet Street. Comyns Beaumont.

It has historical information Google can't find.

hatler · « **Reply #5909 on:** 25 January, 2020, 09:26:16 am »

Exactly, by Simon Winchester, a history of precision engineering. Fascinating.

And in short order I finished both Erebus (the tale of Franklin's ship) and Life on the Edge (quantum biology). I think I'm just about getting the hang of quantum mechanics now, sort of ...

Syd · « **Reply #5910 on:** 25 January, 2020, 10:26:10 am »

Currently reading A Man and His Watch.

Interesting stories about iconic time pieces and those who owned them.

andrewc · « **Reply #5911 on:** 28 January, 2020, 10:23:48 pm »

"Crome Yellow" by Aldous Huxley. Which begins with our Hero in a panic, over getting both his luggage & his bicycle off a train before it leaves the station. BTDTGTTS. Some things haven't changed since the 1920s..

fd3 · « **Reply #5912 on:** 02 February, 2020, 09:38:26 pm »

The real story & Forbidden Knowledge by Donaldson. Of the last five books I have read it is joint best and benefits from being more easily read than the others.

Legs · « **Reply #5913 on:** 03 February, 2020, 10:07:00 am »

This Thing Of Darkness by Harry Thompson. Excellent so far

ElyDave · « **Reply #5914 on:** 03 February, 2020, 06:51:39 pm »

Quote from: T42 on 14 January, 2020, 08:46:33 am

I've re-read Surface Detail a several times, particularly the wee sting in the tail - but then, stings in the tail is standard Banks practice. Excession is a favourite too, although you need to be steeped in Culture culture before reading it. His sanguinary spaceships are great fun.

Just recently re-read Matter, and Consider Phlebas, both excellent non-culture, culture novels.

Now reading The Man In The High Castle, found it in a charity shop whilst wasting twenty minutes this morning

T42 · « **Reply #5915 on:** 04 February, 2020, 09:36:59 am »

Quote from: Legs on 03 February, 2020, 10:07:00 am

This Thing Of Darkness by Harry Thompson. Excellent so far

Picked that up on Google Books for future reference. Ta.

Ashaman42 · « **Reply #5916 on:** 05 February, 2020, 02:31:44 pm »

Finished Where There's A Will, Emily Chappell's new book last night.

Another good read, I really do like her style and turn of phrase.

fd3 · « **Reply #5917 on:** 08 February, 2020, 11:32:12 pm »

Quote from: fd3 on 02 February, 2020, 09:38:26 pm

The real story & Forbidden Knowledge by Donaldson. Of the last five books I have read it is joint best and benefits from being more easily read than the others.

Okay, 400 pages or so later I have to re-assess. The Novella "The Real Story" was good, disturbing but good in an "X-rated version of Tiger Tiger by Bester" fashion. "Forbidden Knowledge" was a bit repetitive and at that point in the story I started to wonder where portrayal of misogyny ends and misogyny proper starts. Another 1500 pages (estimated) to cover for the next three books in the series. Not sure I am convinced.

andrewc · « **Reply #5918 on:** 13 February, 2020, 07:23:52 pm »

"Agency" by William Gibson. Very short chapters, which seems to suit my currently lurgified attention span. Far too prophetic for bloody comfort.

https://twitter.com/KateSherrod/status/1227692954615050240?s=20

T42 · « **Reply #5919 on:** 14 February, 2020, 08:46:27 am »

Quote from: andrewc on 13 February, 2020, 07:23:52 pm

"Agency" by William Gibson. Very short chapters, which seems to suit my currently lurgified attention span. Far too prophetic for bloody comfort.

https://twitter.com/KateSherrod/status/1227692954615050240?s=20

I revisited some of his "Neuromancer" stuff recently. It hasn't aged well. I'll wait until Google Books has this at around $1 per 100 pp.

fd3 · « **Reply #5920 on:** 14 February, 2020, 11:16:48 pm »

^I wasn't convinced it had aged well in the 90s.

T42 · « **Reply #5921 on:** 15 February, 2020, 08:41:46 am »

Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, OTOH...

rafletcher · « **Reply #5922 on:** 26 February, 2020, 11:16:59 am »

For the first time since some time in the 1980's I'm reading a book by Gerald Seymour. I know I read (and watched) Harry's Game (which I though superb), and I think I read one other about piracy, but that's it. His latest "Beyond Recall" reminds me quite strongly of early Le Carre's. I'm quite enjoying it, so may work my way back through his catalogue over time, helped by the fact that all his books are stand-alone (although they may, like Hammond Innes', be somewhat formulaic, I'll see.)

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #5923 on:** 26 February, 2020, 02:08:01 pm »

Having disposed of the latest Inspector, sorry, Chief Inspector McClean* offering and Max "Hitler" Hastings' take on the Dams Raid it's now hairy historian Neil Oliver's "The Story Of The BRITISH Isles In 100 Places". Chronological trawl through, well, 100 sites of interest in the UK and Ireland.

* Disappointed that James Oswald hasn't appropriated Robert Rankin's "Inspectre" tag yet

ElyDave · « **Reply #5924 on:** 26 February, 2020, 04:36:18 pm »

Gormenghast, about 75 pages in so far, only reading a few pages an evening.

REcently Read Neil Olivers take on the Vikings, interesting and entertaining

re Hammond Innes, yes generally formulaic, but occaisional surprises - Read one a while back about a tanker disaster which was a bit different