What books are we reading at the moment ?

[clarion]

I'm reading Passenger to Frankfurt by Agatha Christie.  My mum had a big Christie collection, but I only recall reading one of them.  I wasn't that impressed.

The plot is wooden, the writing is piss-poor, and you can tell it was dictated without being proofread.  I did wonder if it were just written under her name as a sort of franchise, as happened with Alastair Maclean, and, I think, Neville Shute.  But no, it was apparently 'penned' by the great lady herself, though she was 80 when it was published.

[pcolbeck]

Generals: Ten British Commanders Who Shaped the World - Mark Urban

This was an interesting read. Most of us know the bare bones of the careers of most of the generals in  this book but I learned a lot of stuff I didn't know. I was particularly impressed with Monck who could have made himself Lord Protector but didn't and paved the way for a constitutional monarchy and Fredrick Duke of York that rarest of things a useful member of the Georgian royal family. A lot of interesting stuff about the interplay between the military and parliament.

[Valiant]

John Fowles - The Magus. Awesome

[Deborah]

I like John Fowles. I founf his French Lieutenant's Woman very moving

[Mr Larrington]

Handling The Undead ~ John Ajvide Lindqvist

Non-violent Swedish zombies.

[SandyV]

Just finished The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I kept waiting for it to improve. It didn't. However did it get such good reviews?

[Flying_Monkey]

Just finished The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I kept waiting for it to improve. It didn't. However did it get such good reviews?

Beats me. She knows reviewers? It's a pretty cliquey world.

[Valiant]

Cos the teens loved it. Film is out on Friday I think.

[Captain Zep]

John Fowles - The Magus. Awesome

My favourite book.     Although I've never recommended it to anyone as I would hate to do so then that person not to love it / be shocked by it / be excited by it as I was.

The French Lieutenant's woman is excellent too, but my second favourite Fowles is "The Collector".

[Captain Zep]

Just finished Frankie Boyle's autobiography, "My Shit Life So Far".   

Now halfway through Wodehouse's "The Mating Season" - classic Jeeves & Wooster.  The funniest writer ever IMO.

[Mr Larrington]

The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward ~ L P Hovercraft

[Mr Larrington]

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.  Stieg Larsson.  Just started.

Film version to be released in the UK on March 22nd, apparently.

About bloody time...

Is the film to be subtitled or dubbed?

The snippet I saw in the most recent issue of "Q" (yes, I've cancelled my subscription but it's taking them a while to notice) says it's "in Swedish" so I assume subtitled.  They gave it four stars too, so my Social Secretary is on special alert to find where it's going to be on in That London.

Stop Press: Social Secretary claims it opens in That London on March 12th, not 22nd

[Pneumant]

The Bridge - Iain Banks

Story about a man in hospital who starts living in another very strange reality, some chapters are more difficult than others, not sure if this is Banks' style as this is the first novel of his that I have read.

[Nuncio]

A little break from Netherland to read 'Barring Mechanicals' by our own Andy Allsopp.  A wry, spry account of one man's debut Audax (LEL, lying down through two countries): the thrills, the spills, the highs, the lows, the tears, the gears, the laughter, the drafter.  Oh, and the zip ties. How could I forget the zip ties?

Did he make it?  Well you can follow the link on his profile to order a copy to find out.  It would probably be bad form to offer it for a lend. 

Recommended to fellow participants, fellow randonneurs and fellow cyclists.  Well, anyone really. 

[SandyV]

I too am reading Barring Mechanicals by Arallsopp - am almost at Thorne - brought back many memories of LEL and with the wonders of the interweb has arrived here in Australia before VeloYellow's brevet!

http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/barring-mechanicals---from-london-to-edinburgh-and-back-on-a-recumbent-bicycle/8116858

[jogler]

I shall be passing through Cromford today where there are several bookshops & will look for this book specifically.

[SandyV]

Jogler - I think you may only be able to purchase on line?  Try this link if the other doesn't work

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/barring-mechanicals---from-london-to-edinburgh-and-back-on-a-re/6302388

Otherwise do a search at Self Publishing - Lulu.com   for barring mechanicals

[but be careful - when I did that the second item on the results is "Shadowman & Other Gay Male Erotica" - TORRID STORIES OF GAY MALE LOVE!)
 

[arallsopp]

Oh! Bless you! You're talking about me!

Here, have a tiny url: tinyurl.com/lelbook

Distribution to UK / Europe / Australia / US / Canada is exclusively through lulu.com at the moment, but it is (very slowly) also on its way to the Americas via amazon.com.
At the moment, a search on amazon mostly returns the work of Torsten Barring. I would order 'A novel of Gay Male Bondage' but I don't have a Kindle to read it on.

Andy.

[clarion]

...[but be careful - when I did that the second item on the results is "Shadowman & Other Gay Male Erotica" - TORRID STORIES OF GAY MALE LOVE!)
 

So is it any good?

[Deano]

The Bridge - Iain Banks

Story about a man in hospital who starts living in another very strange reality, some chapters are more difficult than others, not sure if this is Banks' style as this is the first novel of his that I have read.

It's not typical in a lot of ways, and I don't think I especially enjoyed it when I read it (about ten years ago).  Maybe I should re-read it.

Currently, I'm reading Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, after noticing his name being mentioned on here, and spotting the book in the library.  It's certainly not what I was expecting - part of me is waiting for the aliens to make an appearance.  But the level of detail is extraordinary, and it's enthralling.  Even though most of the science goes over my head.

[Captain Zep]

Just finished "A Very British Coup" by Chris Mullin
Just started "Bomber" by Len Deighton

[clarion]

The former is one of my favourite books.

[her_welshness]

'If the Dead Rise Not' by Philip Kerr, another Bernie Gunther gem 

[Captain Zep]

The former is one of my favourite books.

Kind of sad isn't it. 

[andygates]

Ringworld 2.  Still spanks a lot of modern fluff and sends it running home to Mum.