What books are we reading at the moment ?

[Quint]

I never finished A Suitable Boy either - I got about halfway through.  I also didn't get very far in The Woman in White, which is weird because I've loved all the other Wilkie Collins I've read (No Name, The Moonstone and Armadale).  And I only got a few chapters into Leon Uris' Exodus.

     I read Exodus when quite young, a few years later I met a Palestinian refugee who straightened a few facts out.

[Mr Larrington]

On the side, I'm reading The World According To Noddy (Holder, that is).

That was a bit disappointing compared with his proper autobiography ("All Crazee Now" IIRC) not least because he comes out as a UKIP supporter

[Paul]

I also didn't get very far in The Woman in White, which is weird because I've loved all the other Wilkie Collins I've read (No Name, The Moonstone and Armadale).

The Woman in White is the only Wilkie Collins I've finished. Of course, it's also the only one I've started.

Same here. I thought it was about 20% too long. However, that's probably unfair as it's not my sort of thing at all. A WC fan would probably wish it was 20% longer.

[Paul]

I recently finished the Third Policeman*. Hugely enjoyable. Am now on the best of Myles; a collection of O Brien's columns. Also a lot of fun.

*I was surprised to discover that Robert Anton Wilson borrowed one of O Brien's characters for his Illuminatus books. Am considering re-reading them, but I'm afraid that, 30 years on, I won't 'get' them any more.

[clarion]

On the side, I'm reading The World According To Noddy (Holder, that is).

That was a bit disappointing compared with his proper autobiography ("All Crazee Now" IIRC) not least because he comes out as a UKIP supporter

Does he?

He does declare himself a Labour supporter, and even a socialist elsewhere.

I was a bit unhappy at the tale of bringing a POB to the ground with a stick in the spokes

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

I don't think I want to read either of them now. I don't want to dislike Noddy.

[Mr Larrington]

"All Crazee Now" is good, honest.  And it's just a coincidence brought about by the way I sort the Library that it's on the shelf next to Ian Kershaw's mountainous biography of Hitler.

James Holland's book about the Dambusters is on the other side.

[T42]

Harry Harrison's Deathworld 1,2 and 3. My son gave them to me for my birfdy. I haven't read any of his stuff for donkey's years - I'd forgotten how entertaining he was.

That takes me back Cracking little books.

Oh, very yes, good stuff. What bothers me, though, is that Deathword and some of his other stuff is now available on Gutenberg.org.  Ditto Clifford Simak.  Copyrights seem to expire so quickly these days.

[fuzzy]

Harry Harrison's Deathworld 1,2 and 3. My son gave them to me for my birfdy. I haven't read any of his stuff for donkey's years - I'd forgotten how entertaining he was.

That takes me back Cracking little books.

Oh, very yes, good stuff. What bothers me, though, is that Deathword and some of his other stuff is now available on Gutenberg.org.  Ditto Clifford Simak.  Copyrights seem to expire so quickly these days.

This forum is getting to me. I just read your post and, as Deathworld is in italic font, it looked to be spelled wrong. My brane wants to read it as Dethworld

[T42]

<cackle>

Too much YACF &/or too much Discworld?  Nah, both are impossible.

[Steph]

Harry Harrison's Deathworld 1,2 and 3. My son gave them to me for my birfdy. I haven't read any of his stuff for donkey's years - I'd forgotten how entertaining he was.

That takes me back Cracking little books.

Be aware there are two versions of D2 (The Ethical Engineer). The shorter one has Jason immediately sending the signal, rather than hanging around. And that is an attempt not to be a spoiler.

Oh, and Mikah remains a consummate knob in both versions.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Boneland by Alan Garner.

I had no idea this book existed. It is the third book in the 'The Weirdstone of Brisingamen' trilogy.

I loved the first book, read it to my children who also loved it.

Boneland is . . . Different. I didn't realise until I read up on the book that the main protagonist, Colin, is the Colin from the other two books.

Not sure I'd recommend it to fans of 'The Weirdstone of Brisingamen'. Definitely not a children's book, there are themes of madness, redemption, therapy and loss. Quite gruelling.

[citoyen]

I, on the other hand, have just started reading Raymond Chandler viz. "The Big Sheep Sleep".

#gibsonesque.  Not.

I'm reading that now. They left quite a lot of detail out of the film, didn't they?

[clarion]

Onto The Establishment by Owen Jones.  God, it's depressing.

[clarion]

On the side, I'm reading The World According To Noddy (Holder, that is).

That was a bit disappointing compared with his proper autobiography ("All Crazee Now" IIRC) not least because he comes out as a UKIP supporter

I may have missed that bit, though he does espouse a number of populist policies, and expresses a mild antipathy towards immigrants.

[Mr Larrington]

I, on the other hand, have just started reading Raymond Chandler viz. "The Big Sheep Sleep".

#gibsonesque.  Not.

I'm reading that now. They left quite a lot of detail out of the film, didn't they?

(Confesses Big Sheepishly to not having seen the film)

[redshift]

Boneland by Alan Garner.

I had no idea this book existed. It is the third book in the 'The Weirdstone of Brisingamen' trilogy.

I loved the first book, read it to my children who also loved it.

Boneland is . . . Different. I didn't realise until I read up on the book that the main protagonist, Colin, is the Colin from the other two books.

Not sure I'd recommend it to fans of 'The Weirdstone of Brisingamen'. Definitely not a children's book, there are themes of madness, redemption, therapy and loss. Quite gruelling.

It's been a common mistake over the years to pigeon hole Alan Garner as a "children's" author.  Whilst he's often written about children or young adults, they're not necessarily the target audience.  The Owl Service isn't a children's story - it's an old Welsh legend which is an adult story, and  Red Shift is a reworking of another old myth of a changeling. 

Have you read Thursbitch?

[citoyen]

(Confesses Big Sheepishly to not having seen the film)

It's a long time since I've seen it, tbh, but I remember it well enough to know that a lot of the detail is very toned down for the film - eg Carmen's state of dress when Marlowe finds her, and if there are any hints at Geiger's sexuality in the film, they're rather more oblique than in the book.

Still a great film though.

[Steph]

Boneland by Alan Garner.

I had no idea this book existed. It is the third book in the 'The Weirdstone of Brisingamen' trilogy.

I loved the first book, read it to my children who also loved it.

Boneland is . . . Different. I didn't realise until I read up on the book that the main protagonist, Colin, is the Colin from the other two books.

Not sure I'd recommend it to fans of 'The Weirdstone of Brisingamen'. Definitely not a children's book, there are themes of madness, redemption, therapy and loss. Quite gruelling.

Ooh!
Ta!
The first book was read to my class in the RN Junior School, Johore Bahru, in 68. Bits remain with me now. The second I discovered myself. A girl, and a pony, that isn't, have also stayed with me. I need to look this one up.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Boneland by Alan Garner.

I had no idea this book existed. It is the third book in the 'The Weirdstone of Brisingamen' trilogy.

I loved the first book, read it to my children who also loved it.

Boneland is . . . Different. I didn't realise until I read up on the book that the main protagonist, Colin, is the Colin from the other two books.

Not sure I'd recommend it to fans of 'The Weirdstone of Brisingamen'. Definitely not a children's book, there are themes of madness, redemption, therapy and loss. Quite gruelling.

It's been a common mistake over the years to pigeon hole Alan Garner as a "children's" author.  Whilst he's often written about children or young adults, they're not necessarily the target audience.  The Owl Service isn't a children's story - it's an old Welsh legend which is an adult story, and  Red Shift is a reworking of another old myth of a changeling. 

Have you read Thursbitch?

I've never thought of him as just a children's author. The Owl Service remains one of the most horrifically terrifying books I've ever read.
I don't think I've read Thursbitch.

[tiermat]

Just finished "Ghost of Spain" by Giles Tremlett, which was a very interesting discourse on what drives the Spanish psyche.  Complex is not the world....

I have, now, moved onto "The Battle for Spain" by Antony Beevor.  Bet you can't guess what it's about   Lined up, after that, is The Revolt of the Catalans...

[Ruthie]

I just finished 'An Astronaut's Guide to Life' by Chris Hadfield.

It's not really a guide to life, it's about his own approach to his own life, and why that has worked.  It's a good read, and he's a likeable man, which helps.  The most interesting bits are the about what it's actually live in space, and the preparation and background work for that.  It certainly made me reflect on my own approach to my professional life, and there are things I've taken on board from his approach.

It's not unputdownable, but I'm really glad I read it.

[rafletcher]

Well I finished the latest James Oswald, and was a bit uderwhelmed. Now on to a new-to-me author, one Quentin Bates and his Iceland set police procedural Frozen Out.  Finding it a bit hard to keep track of the names, but it's ok for a genre book.

[Mr Larrington]

I have finally finished with Philip Marlowe.  Not sure I approve of the terrible fate¹ of the hard-boiled PI in "Poodle Springs" but how much of that was Chandler and how much Robert B. Parker I know not.

(click to show/hide)

He marries a rich girl

[IanDG]

Cross Dog Blues - by Richard M Brock