Author Topic: What books are we reading at the moment ? (Read 846632 times)

citoyen · « **Reply #4425 on:** 06 April, 2016, 08:52:27 pm »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 29 March, 2016, 06:03:39 pm

I have finally finished with Philip Marlowe. Not sure I approve of the terrible fate¹ of the hard-boiled PI in "Poodle Springs" but how much of that was Chandler and how much Robert B. Parker I know not.

(click to show/hide)
He marries a rich girl

I'm still working my way through Farewell, My Lovely. It's taking ages. Partly because I've not been reading much lately. Partly because I have to keep stopping every couple of paragraphs to highlight yet another brilliant one-liner.

It's just as well Chandler is such a great writer - it distracts from the flimsiness of the plots.

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #4426 on:** 06 April, 2016, 10:04:47 pm »

Galactic Pot healer by Philip K Dick

One of his best.

Legs · « **Reply #4427 on:** 07 April, 2016, 07:46:02 am »

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Not exactly high literature, but it's a cracking story so far, and it's well told.

clarion · « **Reply #4428 on:** 07 April, 2016, 09:30:56 am »

Quote from: clarion on 16 March, 2016, 03:00:52 pm

Onto The Establishment by Owen Jones. God, it's depressing.

Can't bear to read it in the current climate.

T42 · « **Reply #4429 on:** 07 April, 2016, 11:17:38 am »

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. Early days. A big thick brick of a book, like holding a chunk of granite. I wish the missus would buy me paperbacks.

Quote from: mrcharly on 06 April, 2016, 10:04:47 pm

Galactic Pot healer by Philip K Dick

One of his best.

I liked that one too. It, A Maze of Death, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich and Ubik are the best he wrote, I think.

Paul · « **Reply #4430 on:** 07 April, 2016, 12:31:43 pm »

Quote from: tiermat on 29 March, 2016, 01:50:40 pm

I have, now, moved onto "The Battle for Spain" by Antony Beevor.

How are you/did you find this? I read it a few years ago and was surprised by its readability, despite the size and occasional over detail. I suppose it helps to have an interest in the subject, but I thought it was well written.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #4431 on:** 07 April, 2016, 12:42:52 pm »

Halfway through Capital by someone Lanchester - no idea what's going on, but quite enjoying it. Also just started The Fanatic by James Robertson.

T42 · « **Reply #4432 on:** 07 April, 2016, 01:16:08 pm »

Haven't got "Sudden Death" by Álvaro Enrigue yet but we wants it, Precious, we wants it.

NYT review.

Legs · « **Reply #4433 on:** 07 April, 2016, 01:18:40 pm »

Quote from: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 07 April, 2016, 12:42:52 pm

Halfway through Capital by someone Lanchester - no idea what's going on, but quite enjoying it. Also just started The Fanatic by James Robertson.

Capital is good - I read it a few years ago when I got it for £1 on Kindle. It was made into a BBC miniseries a few months ago, with Toby Jones as Roger.

T42 · « **Reply #4434 on:** 25 April, 2016, 05:42:40 pm »

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson.

NS has taken a bit of flack from reviewers who complain that there's too much engineering. No there isn't and it's fascinating. Orbital mechanics makes a nice change from bike mechanics.

citoyen · « **Reply #4435 on:** 26 April, 2016, 07:27:11 am »

The Fun Factory by Chris England

Meh. Readable but unsatisfying piece of 'historical fiction' with more of an emphasis on the fiction than the history. It's a largely speculative take on the early career of Edwardian music hall artist Arthur Dandoe, who was a member of Fred Karno's company and a contemporary of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Jefferson (aka Stan Laurel). Not much is known about Dandoe's life but the author spins a modestly amusing yarn about a rivalry between him and Chaplin based on the flimsy evidence of a single throwaway line from Chaplin's autobiography.

Vince · « **Reply #4436 on:** 26 April, 2016, 03:24:38 pm »

Dead Level - Damien Boyd

Police who-dunnit set in the Somerset Levels. 5th book in DI Nick Dixon series.

geraldc · « **Reply #4437 on:** 27 April, 2016, 05:21:38 pm »

I quite enjoyed the Nick Dixon books. They're all available on kindle unlimited and seem to be coming out at quite a pace.

The Albanians in Bristol seem to be a dodgy lot though...

citoyen · « **Reply #4438 on:** 28 April, 2016, 07:00:28 pm »

Holiday by Stanley Middleton

Early Booker winner, now mostly forgotten. I wouldn't have heard of either the book or the author if I weren't interested in the Booker prize. I'm very glad to have discovered it though. It's one of those very Bookerish books that is beautifully written, albeit in a very subtle way, nothing showy about it, but doesn't have much of what you'd call a story to it - some might think it a bit slow. I think it's acutely perceptive in its portrayal of people working their way through a crisis, albeit a humdrum, everyday kind of crisis.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #4439 on:** 04 May, 2016, 12:56:12 pm »

Mr Sainsbury's House Of Toothy Comestibles was knocking out "The Night Manager" for not much money so I thought I'd give it a whirl. The first seventy-three pages have confirmed my prejudice. There's something about Le Carré's style that that sets my teeth on edge.

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #4440 on:** 04 May, 2016, 01:02:49 pm »

The Armageddon Rag by George RR Martin (yes, that RR Martin)

Ex hippie journalist takes road trip back into the counter culture. Quite a ride. Not at all game-of-thrones-alike.

Legs · « **Reply #4441 on:** 04 May, 2016, 02:04:51 pm »

Am reading Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth at the moment. High literature it ain't, and his dialogue attribution is very clunky (Ye gods! The adverbs!), but it's a heck of a yarn.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #4442 on:** 06 May, 2016, 12:37:34 pm »

Just started Career of Evil, the latest Robert Galbraith Harry Potter spin-off.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #4443 on:** 08 May, 2016, 11:11:43 am »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 04 May, 2016, 12:56:12 pm

Mr Sainsbury's House Of Toothy Comestibles was knocking out "The Night Manager" for not much money so I thought I'd give it a whirl. The first seventy-three pages have confirmed my prejudice. There's something about Le Carré's style that that sets my teeth on edge.

I finished this. The TV version had a much more satisfactory ending. Now on Jonas Jonasson's Hitman Anders And The Meaning Of It All. Promising start. Upbeat for a Swedish author too

David Martin · « **Reply #4444 on:** 11 May, 2016, 12:50:21 pm »

Waiting for July.. https://literarydundee.co.uk/devil-cover/

Nuncio · « **Reply #4445 on:** 11 May, 2016, 01:09:34 pm »

Primary Colors by Anon (Joe Klein)

T42 · « **Reply #4446 on:** 11 May, 2016, 02:00:36 pm »

First of Pat Barker's "Life Class" trilogy. Meh.

nicknack · « **Reply #4447 on:** 11 May, 2016, 05:49:08 pm »

Quote from: T42 on 25 April, 2016, 05:42:40 pm

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson.

NS has taken a bit of flack from reviewers who complain that there's too much engineering. No there isn't and it's fascinating. Orbital mechanics makes a nice change from bike mechanics.

I've just read that and I agree entirely. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

Jakob W · « **Reply #4448 on:** 13 May, 2016, 07:36:37 am »

I'm a big Stephenson fan, but (like I did with Anathem) I've bogged down about a third of the way in, mainly because it's such a massive tome to schlep about. This is where ebooks win, but my local library had a hardcopy. I will try and pick it up again.

Riggers · « **Reply #4449 on:** 13 May, 2016, 08:59:05 am »

Book about some Romans fighting in Germania. Written by some chap.