Author Topic: What books are we reading at the moment ? (Read 845442 times)

Legs · « **Reply #5500 on:** 07 December, 2018, 10:29:54 am »

Quote from: Legs on 04 December, 2018, 02:46:48 pm

Hearts in Atlantis. Two novellas and three short stories by Stephen King. The first would be a bit weird to anyone not au fait with The Dark Tower. Really enjoying Blind Willie now.

Blimey, that last instalment, Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling, had me crying like a baby. I could barely see my Kindle through the tears.

Peter · « **Reply #5501 on:** 07 December, 2018, 12:14:54 pm »

Quote from: Legs on 07 December, 2018, 10:29:54 am

Quote from: Legs on 04 December, 2018, 02:46:48 pm
Hearts in Atlantis. Two novellas and three short stories by Stephen King. The first would be a bit weird to anyone not au fait with The Dark Tower. Really enjoying Blind Willie now.
Blimey, that last instalment, Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling, had me crying like a baby. I could barely see my Kindle through the tears.

Heavenly Shades Of Night Are Falling is the opening line from the sublime song Twilight Time which was a hit for The Platters in the 50s. I saw them with my Mam at The Globe, Stockton-on-Tees! Surprised nobody has thought of Twilight Time as a film title........

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #5502 on:** 07 December, 2018, 03:54:55 pm »

As a result of recs from Mr L plus others, I am reading the start of the Charlie Parker books.... Good

Canardly · « **Reply #5503 on:** 16 December, 2018, 12:38:57 pm »

One Man and His Bike Mike Carter. Riveting. First book to make me laugh out loud for quite some time.

rafletcher · « **Reply #5504 on:** 16 December, 2018, 03:17:38 pm »

Having finished the James Oswald - so-so IMO, now onto the latest “Rivers of London” series, Lies Sleeping, from Ben Aaronovitch.

mattc · « **Reply #5505 on:** 16 December, 2018, 06:11:44 pm »

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 07 December, 2018, 03:54:55 pm

As a result of recs from Mr L plus others, I am reading the start of the Charlie Parker books.... Good

Did he not like the endings??

<badoom-tisch>

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #5506 on:** 17 December, 2018, 02:37:47 pm »

Quote from: mattc on 16 December, 2018, 06:11:44 pm

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 07 December, 2018, 03:54:55 pm
As a result of recs from Mr L plus others, I am reading the start of the Charlie Parker books.... Good
Did he not like the endings??

<badoom-tisch>

Either Mrs P is referring to another Mr L or she's found the key to the gin cupboard, as this Unit thinks Charlie Parker was a jazz saxophonist.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #5507 on:** 17 December, 2018, 08:34:35 pm »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 17 December, 2018, 02:37:47 pm

Quote from: mattc on 16 December, 2018, 06:11:44 pm
Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 07 December, 2018, 03:54:55 pm
As a result of recs from Mr L plus others, I am reading the start of the Charlie Parker books.... Good
Did he not like the endings??

<badoom-tisch>

Either Mrs P is referring to another Mr L or she's found the key to the gin cupboard, as this Unit thinks Charlie Parker was a jazz saxophonist.

Ah, twas actually ian.
Soz. You might like 'em too though. More semi weirdness and killins.

andrewc · « **Reply #5508 on:** 19 December, 2018, 11:04:51 pm »

No more "Shadow Police" novels. That's a shame, they were a bit on the grim side, but well written.

https://www.paulcornell.com/2017/10/the-future-of-the-shadow-police/

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #5509 on:** 20 December, 2018, 06:31:19 am »

Aw, bugger

Nuncio · « **Reply #5510 on:** 20 December, 2018, 07:29:06 am »

Buddenbrooks, for the LOLs. (75% through and not many LOLs so far)

ian · « **Reply #5511 on:** 20 December, 2018, 06:59:48 pm »

It was me and no, it's not that Charlie Parker, and yes, they're very good, and they get more eldritch as the series moves along.

citoyen · « **Reply #5512 on:** 21 December, 2018, 12:26:37 am »

Quote from: Canardly on 16 December, 2018, 12:38:57 pm

One Man and His Bike Mike Carter.

Funny name for a bike.

andrewc · « **Reply #5513 on:** 27 December, 2018, 12:11:18 pm »

"Europe At Dawn" by Dave Hutchinson. Like the chap in the review below I'm wishing I'd re read the previous three books so I could remember all the plot details.

https://onemore.org/2018/11/24/europe-at-dawn/

Edit: All 4 books are currently 99p each for Amazon Kindle. Recommended.

T42 · « **Reply #5514 on:** 27 December, 2018, 01:28:55 pm »

Yeah. I got two-thirds of the way through 'Dawn' before baling and going back to 'Autumn'.* When you read them end-to-end it's a lot easier to follow.

If they ever get filmed it'll be an incomprehensible mess.

* When it's night-time in Italy, it's Wednesday over here...

nicknack · « **Reply #5515 on:** 27 December, 2018, 07:06:46 pm »

A friend of mine gave me a carrier bag full of Jack Reacher books recently. They appear to make perfect Christmas reading.

andrewc · « **Reply #5516 on:** 28 December, 2018, 02:17:07 pm »

Going back to Dave Hutchinson , he's just started another series. "The Aftermath" Sounds cheery stuff..... not.

https://locusmag.com/2018/06/paul-kincard-reviews-shelter-tales-of-the-aftermath-by-dave-hutchinson/

https://www.theeloquentpage.co.uk/2018/06/12/shelter-by-dave-hutchinson/

mark · « **Reply #5517 on:** 28 December, 2018, 06:36:17 pm »

I just acquired Max Hastings' new work, "Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy, 1945-1975". So far it's a very worthwhile read.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #5518 on:** 28 December, 2018, 07:09:38 pm »

Quote from: mark on 28 December, 2018, 06:36:17 pm

I just acquired Max Hastings' new work, "Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy, 1945-1975". So far it's a very worthwhile read.

I finally finished it on Xmas Eve. Dead interesting it was too.

citoyen · « **Reply #5519 on:** 29 December, 2018, 09:41:50 am »

Quote from: nicknack on 27 December, 2018, 07:06:46 pm

A friend of mine gave me a carrier bag full of Jack Reacher books recently. They appear to make perfect kindling.

FTFY

T42 · « **Reply #5520 on:** 29 December, 2018, 09:54:16 am »

Quote from: andrewc on 28 December, 2018, 02:17:07 pm

Going back to Dave Hutchinson , he's just started another series. "The Aftermath" Sounds cheery stuff..... not.

https://locusmag.com/2018/06/paul-kincard-reviews-shelter-tales-of-the-aftermath-by-dave-hutchinson/

https://www.theeloquentpage.co.uk/2018/06/12/shelter-by-dave-hutchinson/

Aw shit. I was looking forward to the further adventures of Ruudi.

nicknack · « **Reply #5521 on:** 29 December, 2018, 11:03:34 am »

Quote from: citoyen on 29 December, 2018, 09:41:50 am

Quote from: nicknack on 27 December, 2018, 07:06:46 pm
A friend of mine gave me a carrier bag full of Jack Reacher books recently. They appear to make perfect kindling.

FTFY

'Tis true they are not exactly great literature.

ian · « **Reply #5522 on:** 30 December, 2018, 06:27:00 pm »

Quote from: nicknack on 29 December, 2018, 11:03:34 am

Quote from: citoyen on 29 December, 2018, 09:41:50 am
Quote from: nicknack on 27 December, 2018, 07:06:46 pm
A friend of mine gave me a carrier bag full of Jack Reacher books recently. They appear to make perfect kindling.

FTFY
'Tis true they are not exactly great literature.

I'm sort of happy with a good book even if it's not exactly great literature, but I confess though I've tried two, I've never got the entire Jack Reacher phenomenon, they were both pretty dull by-the-numbers plots, a lead character that struggled to make into two dimensions, which on top of the stodgy uninspired prose, made the experience a bit meh. Had Jack been vaguely interesting, had the plots had some verve, or the prose been good, then they might be some value in the entire thing.

citoyen · « **Reply #5523 on:** 30 December, 2018, 09:06:57 pm »

At least they’re not Dan Brown, eh?

andrewc · « **Reply #5524 on:** 30 December, 2018, 09:48:54 pm »

Quote from: T42 on 29 December, 2018, 09:54:16 am

Quote from: andrewc on 28 December, 2018, 02:17:07 pm
Going back to Dave Hutchinson , he's just started another series. "The Aftermath" Sounds cheery stuff..... not.

https://locusmag.com/2018/06/paul-kincard-reviews-shelter-tales-of-the-aftermath-by-dave-hutchinson/

https://www.theeloquentpage.co.uk/2018/06/12/shelter-by-dave-hutchinson/

Aw shit. I was looking forward to the further adventures of Ruudi.

Well, I've just finished "Shelter". Hutchinson writes well & this is a page turner with a good bit of action, I finished it in a couple of days. Grim, bleak & nasty. That's just the weather, the storyline & characters are worse. Our "hero" is not above a bit of gruesome revenge murder, and his employers believe in gun barrel diplomacy. A big part of the plot features an established community destroying itself, this was very well done. think "Survivors" morphing into the Balkans wars.

It's a world setting that's been determined by the publishers, to highlight their stable of writers, so the next one in the series will not be written by Dave Hutchinson but Adam Roberts, who's new to me. Not so sure I'll bother, if I want to get this depressed about human nature I can watch the news instead.