Last Book You Read....

[MangoBroccoli]

Just finished reading The Strain trilogy by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan. I'd quite a gap between the first and second, but read the last two one immediately after the other. Probably better to read them all in one go.

The first one sets up the story, an aeroplane lands at JFK airport in New York, and it is found that apart from 4 survivors, everyone on board is dead, drained of blood.

This is investigated by a doctor from the CDC, who finds himself up against vampires and a host of humans on their payroll working to bring about eternal night and a final solution to human existence.

It's a really good trilogy and is being turned into a TV series which will be on FX later in the year.

The Strain

The Fall

The Night Eternal

7/10.

The Strain was terrific. The Fall was my favourite. The Night Eternal was insane, it veered off quite incredibly in a bizarre attempt to wrap up the series. Didn't like the resolution.

[Raidernation]

Against All Things Ending, another Covenant book from Stephen "why use one word when a hundred fucking obscure big ones will do" Donaldson.

Despite the complaint I actually really enjoy them, takes me about 2 days to read.

[Andy_K_97]

Finished Reheated Cabbage by Irvine Welsh last week. Funny stuff, a collection of short stories from the 90s with one newer story put in at the end. Worth the £3 from Fopp.

[Swordfishtrombone]

Just finished James Ellroy's Underworld USA trilogy. Brilliant,

[JamboMikey]

A Bad Idea I'm About To Do - Chris Gethard

A collection of tales from a guys childhood/early adulthood growing up in New Jersey who suffers from bi-polar/is a neurotic nerd.

He's a stand up comedian so tells the tales in a really funny fashion.

One of the best comedic books I've ever read. Finished it in a couple of days.

Edited May 18, 2014 by JamboMikey

[The Naitch]

Finally got round to reading Glory in Gothenburg.

What a terrific account of that season Aberdeen had. A brilliant read, kudos to Richard Gordon for putting it together.

Can't wait to get the Scotland 74 story that he's just compiled.

[Bold Rover]

I've just finished The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz. It's written as a biographic account of his escape from a WW2 Siberian labour camp along with six others and their walk from there south, through the Gobi Desert, Mongolia, Tibet, across the Himalayas and the safety of British India. As I read it - enjoyable though it was - it felt like an unlikely tale. And looking it up later I think my suspicions are confirmed.

[Savage Henry]

Finished, in one sitting, Standing in Another Man's Grave by Ian Rankin.

Given it's set on the Black Isle, is based on Jackie Leven songs and that I really enjoyed Exit Music, I was expecting a lot more than this. It's a page turner, and an intelligent one, but for much of its 400+ pages it meanders. Rebus is an excellent character, and it's well enough written to be enjoyable, but in the end a bit pointless.

6/10

[peasy23]

A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke by Ronald Reng

Compulsive reading, describes how Enke battled depression over many years. His first severe bout in 2003 led to him leaving Fenerbahce without ever playing for them, and afterwards, he recovered from his illness to become Germany's first choice keeper. After having to cope with the death of his infant daughter and then suffering from injury, he suffered another bout of depression in 2009, and despite the support of his family and friends he took his own life in November that year. 9/10 for me and would thoroughly recommend it.

[rustyarabnuts]

On the Trail of The Assassins- Jim Garrison

Book on which the film JFK was based

[The_Kincardine]

Just finished Tom English's book The Grudge about Scotland's 'winner takes all' encounter with England in 1990 at Murrayfield - the most famous match in Scotland's egg-chasing history.

It's an enjoyable yarn and, for those who are old enough and interested enough in rugby at the time, an excellent piece of nostalgia.

Not sure how it would appeal to younger and more football-focused folk though. Anyway, here's a vid that summarises the day:

[peasy23]

Engage - The Fall and Rise of Matt Hampson by Paul Kimmage.

"Engage" was the last word the England Under 21 prop heard on March 15th 2005 while he was taking part in a scrummaging training session 4 days before a 6 nations u21 match with Scotland. Next thing he knew was waking up in an ICU ward in Stoke Mandeville hospital, paralysed from the neck down and unable to breathe on his own after he dislocated two vertebrae in his neck and suffered severe damage to his spinal cord after the scrum collapsed. Kimmage tells his story brilliantly IMO, a great read.

[Ya Bezzer!]

Yesterday was the first time I'd picked up a book since the World Cup started. It's seriously eaten into my reading time.

Currently reading Sir Isaiah Berlin's 'The Crooked Timbers of Humanity'.

Edited July 3, 2014 by Ya Bezzer!

[Bold Rover]

Engage - The Fall and Rise of Matt Hampson by Paul Kimmage.

"Engage" was the last word the England Under 21 prop heard on March 15th 2005 while he was taking part in a scrummaging training session 4 days before a 6 nations u21 match with Scotland. Next thing he knew was waking up in an ICU ward in Stoke Mandeville hospital, paralysed from the neck down and unable to breathe on his own after he dislocated two vertebrae in his neck and suffered severe damage to his spinal cord after the scrum collapsed. Kimmage tells his story brilliantly IMO, a great read.

I wonder if he had any interesting visitors while in there.

[Hillonearth]

I've just finished The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz. It's written as a biographic account of his escape from a WW2 Siberian labour camp along with six others and their walk from there south, through the Gobi Desert, Mongolia, Tibet, across the Himalayas and the safety of British India. As I read it - enjoyable though it was - it felt like an unlikely tale. And looking it up later I think my suspicions are confirmed.

Read it years ago - it's a cracking adventure yarn, but I thought he sold the jerseys the minute he claimed to have seen a yeti while crossing the Himalayas.

[WhiteRoseKillie]

Currently storming through a few of the Dortmunder series by Donald E. Westlake. My joy at finding I'd only read a fraction of his output was tempered by remembering there won't be any more. It's great reading how John, Andy, Tiny and the rest deal with stuff like the Internet and mobiles, despite having apparently aged not at all in over thirty years.

I just love that whole American pulp crime genre, with Westlake and Lawrence Block* being the best exponents, imho. Both really appear to enjoy spinning a tale, and are superb in sometimes affectionate parody of the style - look out Block's Chip Harrison series for light relief wrapped up in excellent story-telling.

*Block, thankfully, is still around and writing - if not as prolific as he once was.

[topcat(The most tip top)]

Gospel of Luke

Miles better than John not quite as good as Mathew

[Ludo*1]

Really in the mood of a fresh horror novel, any recommendations? Read most of the 'classics' by the authors that are household names but anyone read something truly gripping recently? Tried to get into the Necroscope series but it just seems a bit 'Meh' and boring to me so wanting something that's relatively new rather than something before 2000 for example. Cheers!

[peasy23]

I wonder if he had any interesting visitors while in there.

From the blurb...

Engage

By Paul Kimmage

Whooooooosh... whooooooosh... I'm Matt Hampson. That's the sound of the ventilator keeping me alive. I hear it every four seconds. I can't breathe by myself. I've been paralysed since I broke my neck in 2005 practising with the England Under-21 rugby team. The worst was lying in hospital, being patronised by that annoying b*****d Jimmy Savile. The RFU were pretty rubbish too, but my Leicester team-mates have been fantastic, and I've got a lot of things going on in my life now. I asked Paul Kimmage to tell my story, and I think he's done a cracking job.

Edited July 4, 2014 by peasy23

[Tommy Nooka]

Really in the mood of a fresh horror novel, any recommendations? Read most of the 'classics' by the authors that are household names but anyone read something truly gripping recently? Tried to get into the Necroscope series but it just seems a bit 'Meh' and boring to me so wanting something that's relatively new rather than something before 2000 for example. Cheers!

I've not read many horrors recently but I did enjoy Joe Hills - Heart Shaped Box, a story about a aging rock star who tries to buy a ghost.

You could also try Dan Simmons - The Terror, a fictional account of Franklins lost expedition with a supernatural twist, it's a long book but it's great..