What books are we reading at the moment ?

[pcolbeck]

The Adjustable Spanner: History, Origins and Development to 1970 - Ron Geeslin

Sounds like the dullest book in the world but its really quite brilliant if you have any interest at all in tools or just want an insight into one man's obsession.
As well as having over 3000 adjustable spanners Ron is a a composer, arranger and sound artist who has been heavily involved with Pink Floyd amongst others.

[spesh]

Just finished Adam Rutherford's rather entertaining book on genetics "A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived" and I'm now getting stick into the updated edition of Misha Glenny's "McMafia", a deep dive into transnational organised crime networks, with a few names cropping up in the early parts of the book that I'm already passing familiar with courtesy of reading up on that Trump-Russia thing over the last couple of years.

[Mr Larrington]

The Blood Road Logan Mcrae #11.

It's still raining

Only one person has died, so far

Lots of other stuff has happened, in between books, like Logan joining Professional Standards, and buying a house, and finding a new squeeze.

Ooooh goodie!  Somethings to look forward to on my return from Northern Climes!

Now finished it. It is very good. All his best characters are in it.

Shaping up nicely, but no sign of Reuben Kennedy yet chiz chiz.

Edit: Finished, no Reuben but I look forward to Rebecca joining the polis in about fifteen years.

[Mr Larrington]

The Killing Habit ~ Mark Billingham.  Thorne #15.  I am expecting killin's.

Edit: contains a derogatory comment about colossal bellend Piers "Morgan" Moron, but points lost for not actually referring to the colossal bellend as a colossal bellend.

[T42]

American Tabloid by James Ellroy. So far: Bad-Back Jack's election, Hoffa, Cuba, Cammies, Hoover, Hughes, da Mob and a guest appearance by Officer J. D. Tippit. Alfred A. Knopf's legal dept must have been running red-hot prior to publication.

[rafletcher]

The latest Tom Thorne from Mark Billingham. Then I have Donna Léon, Barbara Nadel AND Stuart Macbride waiting.

[sg37409]

The Crow Girl by Erik Axl Sund
Very highly recommended. A very dark scandi-noir thriller, dealing with some very disturbing subjects.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

I just finished The Craftsman by SJ Bolton. Loved it. Police, murders, Pendle witches, double-crossing, human sacrifices, and an overall atmosphere of creepy chilling menace.

Have now nearly finished Blood Harvest by the same author. Moors, police, churches, child deaths, vicars, psychiatrists, goitres, ancient harvest rituals and an overall atmosphere of creepy chilling menace.

[Jakob W]

American Tabloid by James Ellroy. So far: Bad-Back Jack's election, Hoffa, Cuba, Cammies, Hoover, Hughes, da Mob and a guest appearance by Officer J. D. Tippit. Alfred A. Knopf's legal dept must have been running red-hot prior to publication.

You can't libel the dead; I've heard Ellroy say in an interview that he's switched to clean(er?) livin' in the hope that he'll get to write a novel about the Clinton administration...

[pumpkin]

My 8 yr old has just read and enjoyed The Hobbit

[T42]

American Tabloid by James Ellroy. So far: Bad-Back Jack's election, Hoffa, Cuba, Cammies, Hoover, Hughes, da Mob and a guest appearance by Officer J. D. Tippit. Alfred A. Knopf's legal dept must have been running red-hot prior to publication.

You can't libel the dead; I've heard Ellroy say in an interview that he's switched to clean(er?) livin' in the hope that he'll get to write a novel about the Clinton administration...

That explains a lot.  I do hope I'll be around for his novel about Trumpton.

[Steph]

American Tabloid by James Ellroy. So far: Bad-Back Jack's election, Hoffa, Cuba, Cammies, Hoover, Hughes, da Mob and a guest appearance by Officer J. D. Tippit. Alfred A. Knopf's legal dept must have been running red-hot prior to publication.

You can't libel the dead; I've heard Ellroy say in an interview that he's switched to clean(er?) livin' in the hope that he'll get to write a novel about the Clinton administration...

Indeed. my profoundly unpleasant (in places) novel about child abuse, 'Sweat and Tears', features the late arsehole John Money. I made sure I was safe before including him, even though he remains 'off-screen'.

[Nuncio]

Insidious Intent, number ten in Val McDermid's Tony Hill & Carol Jordan series.  1/3 of the way though and only one killin' but there's another one imminent.

Well, that was a bit unexpected, but La McDermid says in the Afterword that I'm not allowed to say any more.

I heard her interviewed about that and am intrigued. Do I need to read the preceding 9 for number 10 to make sense?

#10 does contain quite a lot of references pertaining to events in #9 and so on back to the beginning.

#1-#10 all done now.  Yes, unexpected. I think I would have given up at #4 were it not for the the promise of a surprise at #10, but the books did become less formulaic as the series progressed and you can rattle through them quickly. I never watched Wire in the Blood but the knowledge that Robson Green played Tony Hill spoiled the character a little for me.

[Jakob W]

Consuming Passions by Judith Flanders; a history of 18th- and 19th-c. consumption, leisure, and popular culture. It got great reviews when it came out over a decade ago, and I can see why - Flanders draws together many seemingly disparate threads to show how the Victorians shopped and entertained themselves, and how they created modern consumer culture in the process. She's a very entertaining guide, with fascinating tidbits on almost every page. Highly recommended.

[Gattopardo]

Read recently as well as reading now-

Ian Banks - Transition Took ages to read and definitely comes with an award for bad sex descriptions.  Interesting book though.  Wont read again.

You are awful but I like you - Tim Moore -Round awful place in the UK with a maestro.  Interesting bits of history.

I travel alone - Scandagwegian crime drama - In the mould of Dan Brown with short chapters and simple language.  Good read bit predictable Will be made in to a film or TV series.

Patience of the spider - Andrea Calmieri - Fun read in english really should read them in Italian- see if it makes more sense.

Last bus to coffeeville - J Paul Henderson Great book, fascinating and fun bit sad in the end.  Picked up for 99p in a bookshop but a really good read.  Might see if I can find other things he has written.

Currently

La bella figura (Insiders guide to the Italian Mind) Beppe Servino -Translated in to Engish interesting take and seems quite a good read.  Maybe look up the original.

Coming up

Castelli di Rabbia - Alessandro Baricco - No idea what it is about, going to read it in Italian to see if I can improve my written language.

Tricks of the Mind Derren Brown - Interesting book that shows people how he does his magic.  well hints and shows you were to go next for more information.

One flew over the cuckoos nest - As I want to read it and after being inside decided that I should read it.  May be help write about my experience.

Happy Derren Brown- The anti self help book?

A study in Scareltt - Conan Doyle - In french as thought I would see how it would help me speak and think french

High fedelity  Nick Hornby - In french as read the english and liked the film.  So help me expand my mind or at least a little excercise.

[Vince]

Dead Lock by Damien Boyd. Next in the series of DI Nixon in the Somerset Levels.

[Mr Larrington]

Anger Is An Energy ~ John Lydon.  Rotten explains why he hates the world and everything in it except butter*.

* Haven't actually reached that bit yet; he's still firing Wobble from PiL.

[rafletcher]

Well I uncharacteristically gave up on Mark Billinghams latest Tom Thorne novel, “The Killing Habit” I just didn’t engage with it. Now devouring Stuart McBrides latest Logan Macrae “The Blod Road”. Up to his usual high standard.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Another Day in the Death of America by Gary Younge. Heartbreaking.

[Steph]

Gatto, I really enjoyed the Tim Moore. There is a moment where he takes a parmo (only a lady parmo) down to Billingham, and finds the smell from the poison works to be preferable to that of the parmo. I can understand that.

[ElyDave]

just finished One Summer in America 1927, will pass that on to my day, cracking read by Bryson as always, if a little Americocentric.

Next I Am Legend - can't wait to see how close it is to the fillum as a bit of 60's sci-fi

[Steph]

just finished One Summer in America 1927, will pass that on to my day, cracking read by Bryson as always, if a little Americocentric.

Next I Am Legend - can't wait to see how close it is to the fillum as a bit of 60's sci-fi

There are three film versions, starring Vincent, Charlton and Will. The first is the closest.

(click to show/hide)

The other two are basically the same adjusted version of the story, and in both cases they completely avoid the whole thesis of Mattheson's work. Wimps

[ElyDave]

I've seen Heston and Smith,

Vincent? Price? The last man on earth?

[Steph]

I've seen Heston and Smith,

Vincent? Price? The last man on earth?

Yes

[Mr Larrington]

Pretend You're In A War ~ Mark Blake. The tale of The 'orrible Who.  No Moon, blood or otherwise, yet though.