Author Topic: What books are we reading at the moment ? (Read 846706 times)

citoyen · « **Reply #4525 on:** 20 June, 2016, 04:56:48 pm »

Started reading Lolita in bed last night. Blimey. One of those books whose reputation goes before it, which is part of the reason I've never got round to reading it sooner, but initial impressions are that it probably is as good as everyone says it is.

I've also been listening to the Radio 4 adaptation of The Remains Of The Day, which is reminding me why I loved the book so much when I read it some years ago. It's interestingly similar to Lolita in that it's beautifully written and the narrator is entirely unreliable.

rafletcher · « **Reply #4526 on:** 24 June, 2016, 11:13:05 am »

Quote from: rafletcher on 19 June, 2016, 11:50:30 am

Now on to Parker Bilal's new Makana story.

Hmm, well that wasn't too good. The plot (Sudanese refugees trafficked for organ donation) was a bit hackneyed.

On to Martin Walkers newest "Bruno, Chef de Police" story. Undemanding, unlikely and generally enjoyable.

Asterix, the former Gaul. · « **Reply #4527 on:** 24 June, 2016, 06:42:03 pm »

Germany Puts the Clock Back. Edgar Mowrer, 1933. An interesting insight into the way that entire populations can be manipulated.

citoyen · « **Reply #4528 on:** 24 June, 2016, 06:53:17 pm »

Quote from: asterix on 24 June, 2016, 06:42:03 pm

An interesting insight into the way that entire populations can be manipulated.

See also: The Sun's front pages for the last month or so.

andrewc · « **Reply #4529 on:** 25 June, 2016, 09:12:05 am »

Just started Charlie Stross's latest, "The Nightmare Stacks". Another Laundry novel.

Prior to that was "The Medusa Chronicles". Alistair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter continuing the story of the cyborged Howard Falcon from Arthur C Clarke's classic short "A Meeting With Medusa". Pretty good.

T42 · « **Reply #4530 on:** 25 June, 2016, 10:30:31 am »

Life is a little too stressful to settle on anything. Swanning about between trashy (L. Niven/G.Benford) and soporific (T. Holland) and fed up with both. Need something engaging and meaty, preferably in several vols of non-wrist-spraining size.

Quisling · « **Reply #4531 on:** 28 June, 2016, 01:44:30 pm »

And the land lay still by James Robertson. About half way through, which in itself is a fair achievement given the total length of some 650 pages. But it is very readable - 50 years of Scottish history told through the lives of different characters.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_the_Land_Lay_Still

I thoroughly enjoyed The Testament of Gideon Mack by Robertson too.

citoyen · « **Reply #4532 on:** 28 June, 2016, 02:14:56 pm »

Quote from: T42 on 25 June, 2016, 10:30:31 am

Life is a little too stressful to settle on anything. Swanning about between trashy (L. Niven/G.Benford) and soporific (T. Holland) and fed up with both. Need something engaging and meaty, preferably in several vols of non-wrist-spraining size.

Have you ever read any Robertson Davies? I always find him very easy to read but very satisfying. And funny. I would recommend the Cornish trilogy - The Rebel Angels, What's Bred In The Bone and The Lyre of Orpheus. About a thousand pages overall but divided into manageable chunks. They're thematically linked but each stands alone so can be read in isolation.

Legs · « **Reply #4533 on:** 28 June, 2016, 02:54:39 pm »

Quote from: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 18 June, 2016, 08:37:05 pm

Just started Mr King's End of Watch, having just finished Gavin Extence's The Universe vs Alex Woods.

Any good? I've not read Mr Mercedes nor Finders Keepers yet, so I won't be there for a while...

T42 · « **Reply #4534 on:** 28 June, 2016, 03:18:46 pm »

Quote from: citoyen on 28 June, 2016, 02:14:56 pm

Quote from: T42 on 25 June, 2016, 10:30:31 am
Life is a little too stressful to settle on anything. Swanning about between trashy (L. Niven/G.Benford) and soporific (T. Holland) and fed up with both. Need something engaging and meaty, preferably in several vols of non-wrist-spraining size.

Have you ever read any Robertson Davies? I always find him very easy to read but very satisfying. And funny. I would recommend the Cornish trilogy - The Rebel Angels, What's Bred In The Bone and The Lyre of Orpheus. About a thousand pages overall but divided into manageable chunks. They're thematically linked but each stands alone so can be read in isolation.

He's one of our favourites. Haven't read him for a long time, though. Loved the scene (in "Fifth Business"?) during WW1 when the platoon sergeant orders "man on cross at 50 metres, 5 rounds rapid fire" or some such.

I might hunt up some Chaim Potok - I've only read a couple of his. In many ways he's similar to Davies.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #4535 on:** 28 June, 2016, 06:20:42 pm »

Quote from: Legs on 28 June, 2016, 02:54:39 pm

Quote from: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 18 June, 2016, 08:37:05 pm
Just started Mr King's End of Watch, having just finished Gavin Extence's The Universe vs Alex Woods.
Any good? I've not read Mr Mercedes nor Finders Keepers yet, so I won't be there for a while...

I'm approaching the end of End Of Watch and it's OK if a little predictable. Calling a female protagonist Frederica Bimmel Linklatter in a novel dedicated to Thomas Harris is a nice touch.

mark · « **Reply #4536 on:** 02 July, 2016, 04:30:14 pm »

The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, The CIA and the Rise of America's Secret Government. That man was one evil bastard. The world is still paying for his evil-doing, and will be for a while to come.

billplumtree · « **Reply #4537 on:** 02 July, 2016, 08:29:39 pm »

All Shall Be Well; And All Shall Be Well; And All Manner of Things Shall Be Well by Tod Wodicka. Now there's a title for our times, eh?

tiermat · « **Reply #4538 on:** 02 July, 2016, 08:32:19 pm »

The Spy with 29 Names, by Jason Webster. It is about the British double agent, during the second world war, known as Garbo. A fascinating story and well written.

Ruthie · « **Reply #4539 on:** 02 July, 2016, 10:55:36 pm »

The Motorcycle Diaries. It's enjoyable but also quite melancholic.

T42 · « **Reply #4540 on:** 03 July, 2016, 08:52:58 am »

Quote from: Ruthie on 02 July, 2016, 10:55:36 pm

The Motorcycle Diaries. It's enjoyable but also quite melancholic.

The film is great.

I'm reading Dan Simmons' The Fifth Heart. The boy seems to have got a thing for the 19th century: after doing a job on Dickens and Crozier, he now has S. Holmes (of whom you may have heard) and Henry James plodding through a murder mystery in those United States. Somewhat miasmal so far, borrows more from James than Doyle.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #4541 on:** 04 July, 2016, 08:58:06 pm »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 28 June, 2016, 06:20:42 pm

Quote from: Legs on 28 June, 2016, 02:54:39 pm
Quote from: Eccentrica Gallumbits on 18 June, 2016, 08:37:05 pm
Just started Mr King's End of Watch, having just finished Gavin Extence's The Universe vs Alex Woods.
Any good? I've not read Mr Mercedes nor Finders Keepers yet, so I won't be there for a while...

I'm approaching the end of End Of Watch and it's OK if a little predictable. Calling a female protagonist Frederica Bimmel Linklatter in a novel dedicated to Thomas Harris is a nice touch.

It was ok, but it would have been better if it had stayed as a detective story rather than having supernatural stuff in it.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #4542 on:** 06 July, 2016, 09:49:30 pm »

Just finished reading Birthdays for the dead by Stuart MacBride, an Ash Henderson novel rather than Logan McRae.
Uplifting it was not!

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #4543 on:** 06 July, 2016, 09:54:10 pm »

Ash Henderson makes Logan McRae look like Inspector Clouseau.

andrewc · « **Reply #4544 on:** 06 July, 2016, 10:09:09 pm »

Le Carre's "The Russia House", seen the film, hadn't read the book.

I had an email earlier telling me that the latest Ben Aaronovitch has been delayed yet again !

Graeme · « **Reply #4545 on:** 06 July, 2016, 10:49:39 pm »

Just finished 'Ella Minnow Pea'. Very clever, but requires a degree of suspension of incredulity. Perhaps guilty of being driven by form over content. Brilliant read, but perhaps the cleverness is the interest rather than the character and story. Glad I read it. #recommended

T42 · « **Reply #4546 on:** 07 July, 2016, 09:05:19 am »

1½ chapters into David Mitchell's Ghostwriter. Bodes well.

Steph · « **Reply #4547 on:** 08 July, 2016, 08:56:18 pm »

Just finished Stross' latest, Nightmare Stacks

(click to show/hide)

Jakob W · « **Reply #4548 on:** 08 July, 2016, 09:14:15 pm »

I think Charlie has a thing for Krads; wasn't there one in the first book? (Must actually catch up with the series - is this the one after the Vampires?)

andrewc · « **Reply #4549 on:** 08 July, 2016, 10:16:09 pm »

Same one, Pinky & Brains return as well. Yes , I thought the ending was a bit sudden.