What books are we reading at the moment ?

[T42]

I can now return to trying to read “Pride And Prejudice “…….

Watch the Beeb serial first.  I found it quite amusing to see what bits were pure JA and which were Beeb inventions.

"Lady Catherine de Bourgh will never know" became one of our family catchphrases.

[Blodwyn Pig]

“Johnny Ginger’s last ride, by Tom Fremantle.

[L CC]

I can now return to trying to read “Pride And Prejudice “…….

Watch the Beeb serial first.  I found it quite amusing to see what bits were pure JA and which were Beeb inventions.

"Lady Catherine de Bourgh will never know" became one of our family catchphrases.

I prefer the Kiera Knightly / Matthew McFadden film (available on Netflix).

I love JA though. She's so funny. Most of the adaptations (including that one) take her & themselves far far far too seriously.

[T42]

I can now return to trying to read “Pride And Prejudice “…….

Watch the Beeb serial first.  I found it quite amusing to see what bits were pure JA and which were Beeb inventions.

"Lady Catherine de Bourgh will never know" became one of our family catchphrases.

I prefer the Kiera Knightly / Matthew McFadden film (available on Netflix).

I love JA though. She's so funny. Most of the adaptations (including that one) take her & themselves far far far too seriously.

She has become something of a religious figure for some.  [Even] Kipling spoke of her with reverence.

[citoyen]

Whit Stilman’s Love & Friendship is by some distance the best Austen adaptation ever. Very, very funny and the only one I’ve seen that really captures what Austen is about.

[T42]

Cheers, I've put it on the list.

[L CC]

Same.

[citoyen]

There's always the danger that you'll disagree with me. But if you do, you'll be wrong. 

Anyway, books...

I've just started volume one (books 1-4) of Simon Raven's Alms For Oblivion series. My dad is a lifelong fan of Raven and has many times over the years exhorted me to try his books so I thought it was about time - especially as vol.1 was 99p for Kindle the other day.

Really enjoying the first book, The Rich Pay Late. A bit dated in some respects, and a lot of the stuff that would have seemed awfully, awfully shocking when the books first came out all seems a bit tame now, but it's well written, funny and an easy read.

[Mr Larrington]

Resisted the temptation to buy the newest Jo Nesbo today, mostly coz I still haven’t read his last offering yet, but didn’t do likewise for the new Mark Billingham.  Which is apparently the first of a new series featuring a Declan Miller and set in Blackpool.  Though I expect Tom Thorne will find a way to sneak in for a cameo.  He always does.

[rafletcher]

Dennis Lehane’s “Small Mercies”, set against the Boston school busing controversy of 1974.

[Sergeant Pluck]

Revisiting Martin Amis’ London Fields. I remember this positively but this time round I am struggling to remain engaged.

[Wowbagger]

Last week, whilst at My Pal Penelope's she was reading "A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian". I recall reading that some years ago and enjoying it - I think it may have been serialised on Radio 4 at a time when I was driving between schools. I found my copy and have started to read. But I can't remember a lot about it...

[rafletcher]

Dennis Lehane’s “Small Mercies”, set against the Boston school busing controversy of 1974.

And very excellent it was too. I may try some others (I was put off years ago by Shutter Island). Now on to the more workaday third (and last) Jimmy Mullen outing for Trevor Wood.

[Wowbagger]

I have interrupted the Ukrainian tractors and have purchased for a mere £6, from World of Books, "Every Good Boy Does Fine", by Jeremy Denk, an autobiographical tome subtitled "A love story in music lessons". It was recommended to me by Colin, our choir Mus Dir, and I'm really enjoying it. I don't think it would be everyone's cup of tea, but every chapter includes a "play list" and since the author is a concert pianist, most of those pieces are for piano. I have played quite a few of them, so I can relate

[rafletcher]

I can with reasonable confidence say that Mr L. will enjoy the latest offering (The Last Dance) from Mr Billingham. I certainly am.

[TheLurker]

Ben Aaronovitch, "Amongst our Weapons".

Kept me amused for most of Friday and a bit of Saturday, but unlikely to re-read it so off to Oxfam with it in a few days.

[rafletcher]

HAving dispensed with Dec Miller and Posh over the weekend, it's now time to try the latest Harry Hole from Jo Nesbo, Killing Moon.

[Mr Larrington]

Not started reading either yet, but the latest Ben Aaronovitch novella “Winter's Gifts” and, somewhat belatedly given its publication date of 2011, the sixth and last instalment of Malcolm Pryce's Louie Knight/Aberystwyth Noir series “The Day Aberystwyth Stood Still” touched down on the doormat today.

[T42]

I'll wait until BA's latest comes down in price: 9€ is too much for a mere novella. I'd wear it out in no time.

[rafletcher]

The Nesbo was pretty good, a 4* rating. And the translation was good too, removing a lot of the (to native English speakers) stilted language from the original Norwegian.

Now to a new “Aussie Noir” author, one Garry Disher and “Peace”

[rafletcher]

The Disher was okay, although the ending was a bit trite. Now 90% of the way through Tim Weaver's latest Raker,  "The Last Goodbye".  An improvement on earlier offerings, in that our hero isn't so gung-ho macho in loads of improbable fights.  Not bad.

Next up will liley be the final Peter Robinson, "Standing in the Shadows". I don't have great hopes as his last couple of offerings were showing the age of the author and how out of touch with modern life he seemed to be. We'll see.

[Mr Larrington]

He had been living in Canada for a long time which may explain the zeitgeist.

[rafletcher]

Well I fitted in a Damian Boyd Nick Dixon outing Death Message. Tripey but expectedly so.  Then I started the Peter Robinson. My considered verdict is don’t bother. A tissue thin plot readily discerned within the first hundred pages (probably less, ICBA to look and check) with masses of padding about food, art, music, personal relationships etc. etc. and anachronistic (and to my mind inaccurate - ground piercing radar anyone? Thought not) language Didn’t bother finishing it. Not a great legacy.

I don’t mind tripe when that’s what I expect, but Robinson is billed as “The master of the Police procedural”.

So, tripe it is, and the latest Martin Walker “Bruno” book, Chateau under Siege

[Steph]

The Nesbo was pretty good, a 4* rating. And the translation was good too, removing a lot of the (to native English speakers) stilted language from the original Norwegian.

Now to a new “Aussie Noir” author, one Garry Disher and “Peace”

Book translators are underrated, IMHO. Good ones need to be able to offer almost as much creativity as the original writer, sometimes more. I remember reading a French edition of Fredric Brown's short-shorts, and before one of them the translator added a personal touch in eplaining what he had done. Frome memory, it went something like "As the net story is simply a long series of puns leading to a final absolutely awful punch line, it is impossible to translate. I have therefore rewritten it in French with appropriately awful puns, and included the original so that readers can decide for themselves if I have been successful"

Brown's original is evil in its puns, but the translator managed to outdo him in the final one.

Chapeau!

[rafletcher]

So, having disposed of Martin Walker's latest terrorist-plot-in-the-Dordogne offering, it's on to SA Cosby's latest, All the Sinners Bleed

He's an author I'd recommend, his novels set in the largely Black communities of present day Virginia.