What books are we reading at the moment ?

[Quint]

Just finished "Salmon fishing in the Yemen", thoroughly enjoyable, am now reading "The girl who played with fire" I also managed to get from The Cancer Research shop in Banbury Antony Beevor D-DAY, I've had a quick peek inside and it looks ver good.

[ian]

The Drift by Chris Thrall. Bought because it was 99p and had 30 five star ratings* on Amazon. I can only assume Mr Thrall has 30 good friends! The writing is somewhat naive in style, has technical errors in the sailing descriptions. Oh and has any one ever heard of a sea lion taking up residence in Plymouth Sound?

I do wonder about how people rate books. If you think truly great writing - Dickens, Shakespeare, Pratchet - should rate at 5 stars, most other stuff should surely only rate three stars.

Well, you can pay someone to do it. There's loads of help-for-hire microtask sites. Plus a lot of people have no sense. I've read some dross that comes with endless good reviews and I have to think 'how?'

I always read the one and two-star reviews, they tend to give an honest and candid opinion even if you don't agree with them.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

....
I do wonder about how people rate books. If you think truly great writing - Dickens, Shakespeare, Pratchet - should rate at 5 stars, most other stuff should surely only rate three stars.

Well, you can pay someone to do it. There's loads of help-for-hire microtask sites. Plus a lot of people have no sense. I've read some dross that comes with endless good reviews and I have to think 'how?'

I always read the one and two-star reviews, they tend to give an honest and candid opinion even if you don't agree with them.
[/quote]

One star:

"Sorry, I cannot review this item, safe to say I sent it as a present for someone and they seemed to be pleased with it."

 

I think the reviewer thought the stars related to the value of his/her input.  Honest,candid but not useful.

[Quint]

The Drift by Chris Thrall. Bought because it was 99p and had 30 five star ratings* on Amazon. I can only assume Mr Thrall has 30 good friends! The writing is somewhat naive in style, has technical errors in the sailing descriptions. Oh and has any one ever heard of a sea lion taking up residence in Plymouth Sound?

I do wonder about how people rate books. If you think truly great writing - Dickens, Shakespeare, Pratchet - should rate at 5 stars, most other stuff should surely only rate three stars.

       To me if a book is excellent is dictated by the pictures in my head that reading it produces, Embers by Sandor Marai is one, Riddle of The Sands by Erskine Childers another, my personal description of authors like these is "word artists" as they mentally take you to where and what they are writing about.

[citoyen]

truly great writing - Dickens, Shakespeare, Pratchet

I think you've answered your own question there.

[citoyen]

I've read some dross that comes with endless good reviews and I have to think 'how?'

Well, I know for example that I tend not to share the opinion of Richard and/or Judy on what makes a good book, so I avoid basing a decision to buy on a positive review from them.

[Ian H]

On Google books I am reading The Builder's Pocket Manual Containing the Elements of Building, Surveying & Architecture   by A. C. Smeaton

On Kindle I'm reading On The Road

In physical ink on paper I have several on the go or lined-up.   Having just visited the Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival, H Mantel (The assassination of Margaret Thatcher) has to be amongst them.

[ElyDave]

Just finished "Salmon fishing in the Yemen", thoroughly enjoyable, am now reading "The girl who played with fire" I also managed to get from The Cancer Research shop in Banbury Antony Beevor D-DAY, I've had a quick peek inside and it looks ver good.

It is, his usual thorough research and no holding back from the truly gruesome nature of war.  No holds barred when discussing the fuckups of the commanders either

[ElyDave]

The Drift by Chris Thrall. Bought because it was 99p and had 30 five star ratings* on Amazon. I can only assume Mr Thrall has 30 good friends! The writing is somewhat naive in style, has technical errors in the sailing descriptions. Oh and has any one ever heard of a sea lion taking up residence in Plymouth Sound?

I do wonder about how people rate books. If you think truly great writing - Dickens, Shakespeare, Pratchet - should rate at 5 stars, most other stuff should surely only rate three stars.

       To me if a book is excellent is dictated by the pictures in my head that reading it produces, Embers by Sandor Marai is one, Riddle of The Sands by Erskine Childers another, my personal description of authors like these is "word artists" as they mentally take you to where and what they are writing about.

Seen the film Riddle of The Sands, excellent, but not read the book.  I have read the 39 Steps though, which was also very good.

Most of my favourite music artists also tend to be very lyrical, Moody Blues for example

[Mr Larrington]

Revisiting pTerry's Discworld canon for the first time in about twenty years.  Just started Witches Abroad.

[ian]

The Drift by Chris Thrall. Bought because it was 99p and had 30 five star ratings* on Amazon. I can only assume Mr Thrall has 30 good friends! The writing is somewhat naive in style, has technical errors in the sailing descriptions. Oh and has any one ever heard of a sea lion taking up residence in Plymouth Sound?

I do wonder about how people rate books. If you think truly great writing - Dickens, Shakespeare, Pratchet - should rate at 5 stars, most other stuff should surely only rate three stars.

       To me if a book is excellent is dictated by the pictures in my head that reading it produces, Embers by Sandor Marai is one, Riddle of The Sands by Erskine Childers another, my personal description of authors like these is "word artists" as they mentally take you to where and what they are writing about.

You should go back and dig up our critical discourse of Dan Brown somewhere hereabouts.

[Mr Larrington]

Well it won't be "The Hanging Tree" by Ben Aaronovitch anytime soon. A not from our library reservations system yeserday. My bold 

"Reservation for The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch has been cancelled as we have been informed that publication has been delayed until at least September 2017. A new order will be made once we have a confirmed publication date."

WTF   I hope that's a mispring

Edit: Publisher's webby SCIENCE still says August 25th.  2016.

I notice a tweet from the man from 4 days ago, consisting of many repeats of the word 'done'.

Gollancz is delighted to announce the publication of THE HANGING TREE, the sixth book in Ben Aaronovitch’s bestselling Peter Grant series, on November 3rd 2016.

[Mrs Pingu]

Zomg, says the same on his Twitter feed too so maybe it is true!

[fuzzy]

A George RR Martin Not GOT/ASOIAF book- Tuf Voyaging. I are enjoying it. Kitty content FTW.

[rafletcher]

Zomg, says the same on his Twitter feed too so maybe it is true!

Oooh, I'll have to chase up the local library as they're still not listing it as available for reservation (having cancelled my earlier one)

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, and Drinking Water: a History by James Salzman.

[citoyen]

Literary quiz - who are they?

Ayesha
Emma Rouault
Dolores Haze
Eva Beaver
Anne Catherick
Miss Woodhouse
Shen Te

Supplementary question: can you suggest three more suitable names for me so I have a full round of 10 questions for the pub quiz?

[T42]

SWMBO rides again, unless you meant that rather contrarian bloke who inhabited the CTC forum a while back.
T'others, dunno.

Additionals:

Christabel Cowper in The Man on a Donkey
Harriet Vane (too easy?)
Heyatawin (Hanta Yo)

[Ruthie]

Literary quiz - who are they?

Ayesha
Emma Rouault
Dolores Haze
Eva Beaver
Anne Catherick
Miss Woodhouse
Shen Te

Supplementary question: can you suggest three more suitable names for me so I have a full round of 10 questions for the pub quiz?

Delores Haze was Lolita.  Don't know about the others.

[citoyen]

SWMBO rides again, unless you meant that rather contrarian bloke who inhabited the CTC forum a while back.
T'others, dunno.

Ayesha is indeed She [WMBO] but you'll need to work out some of the others to get the correct link/theme...

No, it's not CTC forum members - that might be slightly too obscure for the local pub quiz.

[citoyen]

Delores Haze was Lolita. 

Correct. So you've got She and Lolita, which should be a clue to the theme...

[citoyen]

Just thought of another: Lisbeth Salander

Amy Dunne is another.

[Ian H]

P.C. Fox might be another.

[citoyen]

P.C. Fox might be another.

Ooh, don't know that one.

Rather than drag this out, seeing as it's strictly OT, here are the answers in full:

(click to show/hide)

Ayesha - She
Emma Rouault - Madame Bovary
Dolores Haze - Lolita
Eva Beaver - The Woman Who Went To Bed For A Year
Anne Catherick - The Woman In White
Miss Woodhouse - Emma
Shen Te - The Good Person of Szechuan
Lisbeth Salander - The Girl Who Played With Fire
Amy Dunne - Gone Girl

All female title characters, of course. I thought this would make the good basis for the literature round of the pub quiz but I'm struggling to come up with 10 good ones. Shen Te is a bit of an outlier, being from a play rather than a novel. Could extend it to include male characters as well, I suppose - eg Allan Karlsson (The 100 Year Old Man...), Trotwood (David Copperfield), Edward Ashburnham (The Good Soldier).

[citoyen]

P.C. Fox might be another.

Ooh, don't know that one.

Tell a lie...

(click to show/hide)

The Third Policeman, innit?