What books are we reading at the moment ?

[Mr Larrington]

The Sledge Patrol ~ David Howarth.  WW2 true tale of derring-do in eastern Greenland, from the former 2IC of the Shetland Bus operation.  May contain Nazis or traces of Nazis.

[rafletcher]

The Guards by Ken Bruen, the first of the Jack Taylor stories. Quite a bit darker than the TV series.

[nobby]

1356 by Bernard Cornwell.
The fourth in the Grail trilogy and my fourth or fifth time of reading.
Usual excellent characterisation and battle description and plots getting a little 'samey' which doesn't seem to happen in the 12 books of the Uhtred series.
You don't need wizards and dragons for good historical novels although a witch or heretic helps.

[fd3]

Interesting (to me) coincidence - just finished reading (Mockingbird or Nova, not sure) where they talk about how the Grail saga is cursed an all authors/playwrites/bards/etc die before finishing the series.
Possibly just a 1960s "Fun" "Fact".

[T42]

5th or 6th Maigret in a row.  Late gleanings are that, in 1930, $100 got you around 2500 frs, two caviare sandwiches and vodka to accompany would rush you 60,- frs at La Coupole, and a delivery man on a cargo trike earned around 600,- frs/month, poor bugger.

[Legs]

Have you started the Capp'en Fitzroy yet, T42?  Because I'm childcaring/homeschooling/working, I fall asleep after a few lines each evening, so I'm still going after (checks thread back in time) four months(!).  It's bloody excellent, though. (This Thing Of Darkness - Harry Thompson)

[pcolbeck]

The Drakes Drum trilogy by Nicholas Summer.

Its an interesting counterfactual history of Britain in the 20th century. Slight changes have big effects:

Churchill gets run over and killed in New York before he can become PM
Mosley becomes leader of the British Labour Party in the 1930s
A report on the cost and benefits of The Empire leads to India being given its freedom before WWII
FDR doesn't win a second term as POTUS
Pericval is removed as a he felt to be not up to defending Singapore

It's well researched and full of detail on politics, economics and military strategy. It's told in the form of exerts of from radio and TV interviews, news papers and historical books written from 1930 to this century (also fictional of course). A few personal stories thrown in to add some human interest.

Finished the first two but the final part hasn't been published yet

[T42]

Have you started the Capp'en Fitzroy yet, T42?  Because I'm childcaring/homeschooling/working, I fall asleep after a few lines each evening, so I'm still going after (checks thread back in time) four months(!).  It's bloody excellent, though. (This Thing Of Darkness - Harry Thompson)

Not yet.  I did download the sample but couldn't settle to it.  My concentration's pretty shot these days, for various reasons.

[L CC]

Le Guin - Left Hand of Darkness.  Too early to comment atm.

Possibly my favourite book EVAH

[SiD]

The Net Delusion by Evgeny Morozov (2011)
Boy but did he have a crystal ball!

[nicknack]

Just started 'Humankind' by Rutger Bregman. I needed a bit of cheering up.

[fd3]

Le Guin - Left Hand of Darkness.  Too early to comment atm.

Possibly my favourite book EVAH

Only 1/3 of the way through.  It's not grabbed me like "The Dispossessed" did, but then I picked that one up on spec with no idea what it would be about (having read the Earthsea trilogy over 20 years earlier and only knowing Le Guin as another author of Tolkein style Fantasy) and was so impressed I bought my sister a copy.

[tiermat]

Late to the party, but I have just started "Bury Them Deep" Inspector McLean #10.

All good so far.

This is following on from "Singing to the Dead"

[Ashaman42]

I've been slow recently but I finished the first Expanse book last night.

I will be getting the next one

[andyoxon]

I've been slow recently but I finished the first Expanse book last night.

I will be getting the next one

Listening rather than reading, but I've just finished (audio*) book 8:  Tiamats Wrath.   One of the best IMO.  Looking forward to the final (print) book, later this year apparently.   I watched the Expanse online too, before going to the novels, so had a mental image of the TV characters...

* can get two novels with the free Audible [amazon] trial (2 free credits).

[fd3]

Stewart's Earth Abides.  A virus has killed off mankind see ...

[T42]

Stewart's Earth Abides.  A virus has killed off mankind see ...

That used to be one of our favourite books before it fell apart from being read too often.

His Fire is well worth the read, as is Storm.

[fd3]

I can always count on you to know what I;m currently reading!
I'm haphazardly working my way through SF Masters.  I have a couple more new authors to explore before I investigate more by the same author, but thanks for the recommendation. 
(To be fair I'm not sure that I will hack "Stand on Zanzibar")

[Beardy]

I’m currently listening to Dune having read it as yoof. I don’t reread books because it annoys me when I remember what’s coming and being dyslexic I’ve never really been able to enjoy the writing. However, I’m totally entranced by it, and having read some a lot of ‘pulp’ nd self published stuff recently, I’m appreciating the value of a well written script. Wonderful.

I’m also reading The Kings Watch series by Mark Hayden, and while it’s enjoyable and easy to read, it’s really not in the same league as Frank.

[T42]

After 7½ books in a row I've left Maigret sitting over his fine à l'eau in a bar in Fécamp while he waits for the murderer to crack and spill the haricots. For a break I'm catching up on classic SF from my pre-spotty youf, in the shape of Heinlein's Starship Troopers, which I didn't care to be seen reading when it came out because of the lurid cover and potential parental disparagement.  My dad used to grow disaparagus under a bucket in the garden, alongside the rhubarb, and he always had lots to spare. Served it up with vinegar, too.  Anyway, I read yest that the book was several autobahns better than the film, which I once tried to watch without a sick-bag, so I've downloaded a free sample and I'll see.

BTW, Google Books has two editions available, one of the 2€ dearer than the other.  Funny thing: the pricier one downloads in a flash, whereas the el cheapo just hangs.

[nicknack]

(To be fair I'm not sure that I will hack "Stand on Zanzibar")

It's one of my favourites!

[Mr Larrington]

My recently unsolicited copy of Jasper Winn's "Water Ways".  It's good enough, but Paul Gogarty's "The Water Road" is streets better.

[fd3]

T42 - Starship Troopers is on my list.  I thought the film was enjoyable because Dougie Howser.
nicknack - I'm cautious of any book where you read the first two chapters and not only does nothing happen, but you have no idea what's going on.  It's like the book is constantly shouting random lines from a post-apocalyptic twitter at me.
(I'll be locked out of reading soon as my son will be commandeering the kindle).

[PeteB99]

Three body problem by Liu Cixin

Chinese SF - first in a series of 3 books concerning Earths discovery and interaction with a neighboring civilisation

[andrewc]

(To be fair I'm not sure that I will hack "Stand on Zanzibar")

It's one of my favourites!

A classic , along with "The Sheep Look Up".    Didn't like "The Jagged Orbit" very much.