Last Book You Read....

[Savage Henry]

Sped through The Plot Against America, and was genuinely saddened when there was nothing left to read. One of the best things I’ve ever read. A Nazi sympathising celebrity becomes POTUS and chaos ensues. Philip Roth is everything I wanted John Updike to be.

 

On a vaguely similar note, I’ve bought All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, pretty much on a whim.

 

[Jmothecat2]

Sped through The Plot Against America, and was genuinely saddened when there was nothing left to read. One of the best things I’ve ever read. A Nazi sympathising celebrity becomes POTUS and chaos ensues. Philip Roth is everything I wanted John Updike to be.
 
On a vaguely similar note, I’ve bought All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, pretty much on a whim.
 

I read it not too long ago and it really is fantastic. I love pretty much everything I've read by Philip Roth but in a post-Trump world Plot Against America really resonates.

[Melanius Mullarkey]

On 30/11/2018 at 14:59, Miguel Sanchez said:

I'The Busconductor Hines by James Kelman - Truly there is no better literature than that written in stream-of-consciousness Glaswegian

Fantastic book.

Anyway recently finished Worth Dying For by Tim Marshall.  A book which told you about flags, and the fact that they have colours that vaguely mean something.  Written in a very shit style with numerous editorial errors, a complete waste of my time, Tim.

[DiegoDiego]

The Orkneyinga Saga.

Brilliant medieval history of the Earls of Orkney. Lots of fratricide and house burning. An entertaining read and helped illuminate what was for me an era of Scottish history and life I knew little about.

[ScotlandGer]

Life and Fate - Vasily Grossman

One of the best books I've ever read. It's set in WW2 Russia. Based on different characters' experiences across the battle of Stalingrad, Russian summer offensive, Moscow middle-classes, Soviet academia, and the creepy totalitarianism / bureaucracy which looms over it all. Amazing book.

[Shandon Par]

At this rate James Ellroy will need to live to 100 to finish his second LA Quartet.

Finally has a release date for the follow-up to Perfidia. Previewed here by the Demon Dog himself:

https://www.jamesellroy.net/

[tongue_tied_danny]

I'm currently reading For Two Thousand Years by Mihail Sebastian. 

It's about the trails and tribulations of a young Jewish fellah in 1920s Bucharest. Tbh it hasnt grabbed me. Not much is happening. The guy is just going about his day to day business against the backdrop of looming fascism and anti-Semitism. 

[Eednud]

Dundee FC On This Day by Kenny Ross. Took me a year to read it, actually longer than that as it arrived in November 2017 but decided to wait until Jan 1 last year to start a daily ritual. Nothing much didn't already know but it did bring back some happy memories. Bit too much emphasis on games against United and the uglies though.

[Richey Edwards]

On 23/12/2018 at 21:23, Savage Henry said:

Sped through The Plot Against America, and was genuinely saddened when there was nothing left to read. One of the best things I’ve ever read. A Nazi sympathising celebrity becomes POTUS and chaos ensues. Philip Roth is everything I wanted John Updike to be.

I am currently reading this. Very interesting and I am enjoying it.

[Savage Henry]

I read it not too long ago and it really is fantastic. I love pretty much everything I've read by Philip Roth but in a post-Trump world Plot Against America really resonates.

It could have been written in 2018, rather than 2004, or whenever. It’s a particularly pertinent novel.

[tarapoa]

Just finished Deliverance - bought off eBay for 2 quid when Burt Reynolds died

[Le Tout P'ti FC]

I've had three books on the go over the holidays.

The Quaker by Liam McIlvaney, excellent.

Which put me in mind of Bloody January by Alan Parks. Took me longer to settle into this one but finally I read the latter chunk of it in one sitting so it got me hooked in the end clearly.

And bizarrely enough In Search of DUNCAN Ferguson by Alan Patullo. Only because he told a brilliant story about Duncan at an event I was at, so I got a copy for a couple of quid online and read on.

Interestingly enough Barlinnie features in all three!

[senorsoupe]

A friend of mine from University  (David Donaldson) wrote a book called "We Follow The Dying Light" a year or so ago and I just got around to reading it and I wish I had read it sooner, it's really excellent.  A psychological thriller with a Black Mirror vibe, really well written.  It's on amazon so probably can be shipped to the UK but I highly recommend it, and not just because David is a good guy,

http://www.daviddonaldson.ca/books/

[Savage Henry]

10 hours ago, tarapoa said:

Just finished Deliverance - bought off eBay for 2 quid when Burt Reynolds died

Was his family selling off all his old stuff?

[Craig fae the Vale]

I just finished "My Best Friend's Exorcism" by Grady Hendrix. A horror-comedy that's never short of fun and entertaining throughout. Well worth a read if you're into that type of thing or looking for something a bit different.

[Highland Capital]

A couple of months back a read one of the strangest books I've ever read.  "Suicide" by Edouard Leve.  It's a weird read in that it's in the second person ("You did this", "You saw that") and tells the story of a friend who committed suicide twenty years prior.  It's never been clear though if the story is true, total fiction or a mixture of both.   Leve himself committed suicide ten days after submitting the manuscript.

[Saigon Raider]

Just finished Fatherland by Robert Harris - a thriller set in the 70s (I think) in a world where Hitler won WW2. Held my attention but not as good as some of his later stuff.

Now reading Moeen - the autobiography of the England cricketer. Not usually a big fan of bios but he is interesting and the stuff on Islam is enlightening.

 

[moniton]

Just finished L'assommoir by Zola- my daughter read it for uni a couple of years ago so thought I'd give it a go. It is a tale of poverty and alcoholism in the working class of 19th century Paris, it reminded me of Dickens ( in a good way ) his portrayal of the chaotic nature of the protagonists is a delight. There are some particularly memorable passages, especially describing their marriage, a feast they have, and the eventual descent into destitution and death. Worth reading 7/10

[Dan Steele]

Almanac of the Dead by Leslie Marmon Silko. She is a Native American author. A totally mesmerising read. A worldview very different to white America. Very relevant to what's going on in US now.

[Ya Bezzer!]

I've really neglected this thread recently.

Books read since I was last here.

Call for the Dead - John le Carre.  Short, easy read. Nothing spectacular about it just a decent enough spy/detective novel. 3/5

Johnny Got His Gun - Dalton Trumbo.  The story of a World War One soldier who loses all his limbs, his face and most of his senses after being hit by a mortar shell.  Both heart breaking and inspirational in the way he figures out what has happened to him and how to understand the world around him while existing entirely within his self with no empirical data.  4/5

Another Country - James Baldwin.  Based around the lives of four tortured artists living in 1950's New York.  Everyone fucks everyone else, everyone fucks everyone else over and everyone ends up fucked up.  Not the most fast paced and propulsive narrative but Baldwin is a brilliant, brilliant writer. 4/5

Notre Dame de Paris - Victor Hugo.  The excessive detours into the architecture of medieval Paris weight this book down but the actual story is pretty good although I did guess one of the major reveals long before it was exposed.  The ending is grim and horrific though so if you like happy endings it won't be for you!  3/5.

Impatience of the Heart - Stefan Zweig.  A young Austro-Hungarian cavalry officer takes pity on a disabled girl that he accidentally insults at a dance and then finds himself trapped in a series of unwanted relationships with the girl and her family.  The ending is obvious about half way through the book but the philosophical concept is interesting and it's easy to read yet well written. 3/5.

Southern Mail - Antoine de Saint Exupery.  Short book, big disappointment.  Concerns a 1930's air mail pilot flying across the Sahara although most of the story revolves around a failed affair he has back in Paris.  I found the style of this book irritating with continual use of short sentences, vague narrative description and unsympathetic characters.  Perhaps it's a poor translation, in any case I can't recommend it.  2/5

Currently reading 'The Hopkins Manuscript' by R. C. Sheriff.  Should finish it tomorrow and planning a trip to the Sauchiehall Street Waterstones to top up my supply of books.