Wardy Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Just finished the Tattoosist of Auschwitz. Thoroughly enjoyed. Think my next book will be Munich by Robert Harris. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dysartrovers Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 Just finished the haunting of hill House. Would not recommend it. Not a lot happens. The TV series was nothing like it but much more enjoyable 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Elephant & Castle Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 The Chalk Man by C.J Tudor, debut novel which was a good read. A right, good page-turner. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphy1970 Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 London - the biography by Peter Ackroyd. Fascinating, if long read, full of interesting historical anecdotes. Obviously Suggs must have just finished it before coming up with the lyrics for The liberty of Norton Folgate After marathon read, needed something shorter & lighter and just finished No Good Deed by John Niven. Would definitely recommend it. Funny and scathing in equal measure 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomCat Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 Oscar by Matthew Sturgis. A superb study of Wilde, supplanting the Richard Elmann one as the definitive biography of the man. A great and informative read which gives good coverage of his whole life rather than usual focus on last 5 years. His childhood in Ireland and tour in America were very well covered. The Killing of Commendatore by Haruki Murakami. Typical brilliant Murakami novel and ranks as one of his best. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peasy23 Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 My Name'5 Doddie- Doddie WeirNot your normal rugby player's autobiography, there can't be many who have written theirs while terminally ill. Decent enough read, fair play to the big guy for what his foundation has achieved in a little over a year, with over £1 million already raised and distributed. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shandon Par Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 The Long Take, by Robin Robertson Post WW2 historical drama, following a Canadian guy's descent from bright young thing to addiction, and post-traumatic stress. He lands in NY after the war then decides to try Hollywood. Written as a verse novel, the flashback scenes are mainly written in verse. Don't know if the style really adds a lot. It had scooped a few awards and nominations and I probably expected a bit more. Hints of Dorian Gray in the way the writer sees himself without realising it's him, hints of James Ellroy (the hyper-real characters drifting in and out of reality and fiction of LA in the post-war period). Lofty ambitions but misses the mark a bit. It's short anyway but chop about a quarter or a third out and it would be very powerful. Lots of really impressive imagery - especially the cold NY winter. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richey Edwards Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 Finished The Plot Against America last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would recommend it if anyone is looking for something to read. Just bought Wolf Among Wolves by Hans Fallada. I enjoyed Alone In Berlin (which is about a middle-aged couples' small protest against the Nazi regime - based on a true story apparently), and I wanted to read more of his work. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miguel Sanchez Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut I sympathise with the state of mind he was in at the time of writing, although I wasn't entirely engaged with the manner in which it was presented. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ya Bezzer! Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 (edited) The Hopkins Manuscript - R. C. Sheriff. A survivor records the events around a collision between the moon and earth. A decent read if taken straight but in my opinion the book is actually quite sophisticated its character study and overriding themes. 4/5 Boys in Zinc - Svetlana Alexievich. Personal accounts of the Soviet-Afghan war from Soviet citizens who were affected by the conflict - soldiers, civilian workers, nurses, wives, mothers etc. Some of the accounts, especially those of mothers who's children were killed, are some of the most powerful and tragic accounts of the consequence of war that I've read. The edition I read also has a further section on a lawsuit that was brought against the author by two of the interviewees who claimed to have been misrepresented. This was also excellent as it deals with the nature of recording contemporary history - is it right to apply literary devices or edit hours of interviews? How reliable is human memory? How do changing attitudes influence memory and the 'truth' of history, what responsibilties does the author have to living parties and where do literature, journalism and history intersect ? etc. 5/5 Starting 'The Heron' by Giorgio Bassani. Edited January 25, 2019 by Ya Bezzer! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moniton Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 The Dog Stars - Peter Heller Nice little read about a survivor of a flu epidemic, lighter than "The Road" but still powerful in parts. 6.5/10 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ya Bezzer! Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 18 minutes ago, ThatBoyRonaldo said: Alexievich is brilliant - it's criminal that she's not better known, despite being a Nobel Prize winner. Will definitely pick up 'The Unwomanly Face of War' at some point but I've got a to-read pile and can't really justify another trip to the book shop right now. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Nederlander Posted February 9, 2019 Share Posted February 9, 2019 (edited) On 23/07/2016 at 21:25, Tommy Nooka said: I picked up the first 3 Shardlake books on Amazon for £3 a few weeks ago. Gave them to my mum to read just now, will need to get them back soon! Been reading The Magicians by Lev Grossman at the moment on a recommendation, not very impressed so far, feels like it's trying too hard to be an edgy Harry Potter. They found the Erebus, don't think they've found the Terror yet. No one will ever know what actually happened to the men though. Some human remains have been found and were cleverly wove into Simmons novel. FWIW I just finished Erebus by Micheal Palin and thought it was excellent. I had a vague understanding of the story but skipped the forward as I had a feeling it would give a fair bit away and having gone back to it on completion I found it did. They found Terror two years after they found Erebus. Edited February 9, 2019 by Ned Nederlander 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knee jerk reaction Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 has anyone read "under the skin" by Michel Faber? they were talking about it on the radio the other day and it sounded worth a read, be good to hear what anyone on here thinks of it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanburn Dave Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 The Establishment (and how they get away with it) by Owen Jones. Explains how the powerful hold down the masses through the media, police and various dubious practices.Made me want to take to the barricades, brothers. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathematics Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 Labyrinth, the novelisation. i love the film and thought I’d give it a go. No twists. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tongue_tied_danny Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 13 hours ago, knee jerk reaction said: has anyone read "under the skin" by Michel Faber? they were talking about it on the radio the other day and it sounded worth a read, be good to hear what anyone on here thinks of it. Yeah. I read it a few years ago after watching the film. I enjoyed it... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSP Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 Read "Capture or Kill" by Tom Marcus last week. Really enjoyed his first book about his life in MI6, so was looking forward to this as his first fiction piece. I read a lot of military/action/spy stuff, and this is one of the best I've ever read. Read the entire thing on the train to Aberdeen and back. Thoroughly recommend if you're into this sort of stuff. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
++Ammo - Airdrie++ Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 I'm not a massive reader and this will be my first foray onto this thread, but while I've been off work I've read a couple of books in my "downtime".50 dead men walking by Martin McGartland.The true story which inspired the film of the same name about an Irish fella who became a member of the IRA whilst also serving as an informer for the Special Branch.I only got it when I seen it was free on kindle books but I really enjoyed it, and the ending is pretty mental to consider this actually happened.I then read " Dead man running" SPOILERthe follow up in which McGartland finds out his kidnap etc was planned between the ira and Mi5 as he has become a "liability" and his subsequent fight with the law in Northumbria and his real identity being exposed, and an assassination attempt.2 really good books, not to long and a really good insight into the troubles in northern Ireland for someone like myself who didn't know too much about that kind of thing. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shandon Par Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 Irvine Welsh - Dead Men's Trousers Really enjoyed this. Hard one to discuss without spoilers. Not all of the four main characters make it to the end (this is in the blurb). Ian Rankin - In A House of Lies Always like the Rebus books and tend to get through them in no time. Standard (ie decent) fare though the reveal felt a bit crow-barred in and a couple of the main suspects seemed to just be forgotten about so overall it lacked a wee bit of resolution. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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