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Personally I gave up with it about halfway through
Likewise - too many non-sequiturs and a lot of reaching to draw a conclusion.
Just finished Beau Geste.
Brilliant, loved it. Slightly different from the films ... Cough.
If you have not read it, grab a copy.
Who wants to know what happened to the sapphire..... 😉
Next up...
Secrets of Orford Ness.
I really want to like this, the subject's genuinely fascinating, I like Ned as a presenter and pod-caster...But, it really does feel like some-one who's been asked to write in a way that he simply can't. It feels like he's been sent on a creative writing course, and now he can't resist adding in descriptions (of the weather, his surroundings) that are just weird and unnecessary. Plus it's a wee film about a bit of an old race...yeah; it's of nerdy interest to folks who maybe follow the tour or are interested in it's history, but trying to link it with world events just feels a bit forced. At one point he shoe horns in the fact that as one stage is starting, there's a really bad storm happening in Novgorod then he muses for a good couple of pages about the ownership of a cafe in rural France at the turn of the last century...err, right, thanks Ned.
It's really a curate's egg, there's bits where he gets in his stride about the subject (that he's clearly knowledgeable about) that are really interesting, then he goes off on a tangent about post war occupation of Germany, or a capital punishment case and it's clear that he doesn't really care about it, just stuff he found out lurching down internet rabbit holes. It's written by some-one who's clearly done a large amount of back ground research, and has then written a book where all that background has become the subject.
As others have mentioned, I read Nineteen Eighty Four as a teen, probably because I had to which ruins a lot of books ..... BUT I found my son's A Level copy the other day and started to read it. It's massively relevant to today's era of misinformation.
I also found a copy of Gerald Durrel's "My family and other animals" as a foil to Orwell's bleak dystopia . Re-reading it as an adult is worthwhile escapist entertainment.
While we're on "authors ruined by unimaginative A Level reading lists" can anyone recommend some Dickens as light entertainment? We did Bleak House for A level and it put me off him for life, but surely he deserves another go?
Currently working my way through the Battle for Spain by Antony beevor. It's a rollicking ride as you can imagine, but if you are interested in European history of the 20th century it's a must read. Spoiler, it's not a comedy.
It's on the back of the same author's Downfall, the battle for Berlin. An absolutely tremendous read although again nothing amusing or heartwarming within its pages.
Initially had a great month with a new Bobiverse book from Dennis E. Taylor, followed quickly by the latest Skippy one from Craig Alanson, both really good assuming you like the series. Yudhanjaya Wijeratne released his second book in the Salvage crew series, which was very unlike the first and definitely not as enjoyable. Mr. Scalzi release a short, and then went onto Neal Stephenson Polostan, which I was Meh! (much like Seveneves for me), no humor at all. I've hit a bit of a brick wall with Neal Asher's World Walkers, as I really don't particularly care about any of the characters or the story.. oh well.
Currently working my way through the Battle for Spain by Antony beevor
I really like his stuff, will add that to the list - I'm about a third of the way through his book on the Russian revolution and subsequent civil war, and Downfall, as you say, is a fantastic read, devoured it in days whilst in Berlin on holiday.
I don't read a lot of fiction but picked up The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa on a whim - bit over halfway through and really enjoying it, such a delicate touch on a really quite dark tale!
Sadly, after a conversation with one of my students, I'm delving into all 922 pages of Project 25... published in April 2023. I don't want to go all Tinfoil Hat but....
Preface page XIV
"Our goal is to assemble an army of aligned, vetted, trained, and prepared conservatives
to go to work on Day One to deconstruct the Administrative State."
And recently its "Hello Elon"...
As a teenager in the 80s, I devoured all the gory horror novels I could get. They all pretty much had the same format. A chapter of killer rats, bees, slugs (yes slugs), or guinea pigs horror. Then a chapter of shonky story before onto the next bit of gore with maybe some naughty bits chucked in to keep the teenagers hooked. I loved them and I think I read all of them.
This year was the 50th birthday of Rats by James Herbert. I just finished rereading it yesterday. It's maybe not aged well in certain ways, but it's still great fun to read.
I'm thinking Shaun Hutson might be next on my list. I seem to remember the killer Slugs were fabulously over the top and they even made a really bad movie out of it!
After listening to all seven Mistborn books by Brandon Sanderson I am now reading his The Stormlight Archive series. Currently on the third book Oathbringer. The pace of the story has dropped significantly from the first two books so it seems to be a bit more of a struggle to make time to read.
I will take a break from the Sanderson books after this, I have lined up Band of Brothers to read again after just finishing watching the tv series again.
This year was the 50th birthday of Rats by James Herbert. I just finished rereading it yesterday. It’s maybe not aged well in certain ways, but it’s still great fun to read.
Your description is correct. from memory - I remember reading them as a teen. I occasionally wonder if Sven Hassel books have aged any better? 😀
Tried Anna Burns' "Milkman" - didn't get on with the writing style, so now moved on to Bob Dylan Chronicles. Great writer that young fella. 🙂
Anyone looking for a weighty holiday WW2 book - Sword Beach by Stephen Fraser - good mix of personal accounts and the big picture - well written - astonishing and tragic all at the same time.
Should have also added - purely focused on the British contribution to D-Day.
Two on the go right now:
Red Hotel, about the Metropol Hotel's history as the place where western journalists were billeted during WWII to report on the USSR's war efforts. Interesting reading, not amazingly well written but good bedtime wind down.
All the Pretty Horses (Cormac McCarthy). Slow going at first, and really felt like the writing style would rob the story of any engagement, but I've really got into it. Being Cormac McCarthy it's only going to end badly, but it's a good read to get there
I've been picking old books off the bookcase because I forget them easily. Finished East of Eden by John Steinbeck, The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith by Thomas Keneally recently... Read them before and had no idea what was going to happen in either of them.
About to start A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe.
Re reading Alan Fursts ww2 era spy thrillers . Excellent reads .
Just touched down in Saigon, was reading Embers Of War by Fredrik Logevall - a really fascinating and accessible recount of the conflict in Vietnam. I understand a little now why Ho Chi Minh is so revered.
Given the current political situations these are quite appropriate, all been read over the previous fortnight
I began with this @ start of April
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move onto this by Timothy Snyder, excellent book, my second reading of it
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and finally I’m almost finished this by the excellent graphic journalist Joe Sacco
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I've just started the 8th book in the Vinyl Detective series, and it's promising to be as enjoyable and slightly crazy as the others
I can highly recommend them if you're looking for an alternative take in a detective series
Just read Rememberings by Sinead O’Connor which had me occasionally laughing out loud but is generally a bit muddled and sad - just like the author I guess….
Now halfway through Tale of Two Cities which I’ve never read before though I’m no stranger to Dickens. Its very good.
All the Pretty Horses (Cormac McCarthy). Slow going at first, and really felt like the writing style would rob the story of any engagement, but I've really got into it. Being Cormac McCarthy it's only going to end badly, but it's a good read to get there
honestly, everything I’ve ever read of his has been different level. Hard to read at times, but truly epic. Haven’t got to this yet mind.
I’m reading third rule of time travel by Philip Fracassi. Blake crouch vibes. Fracassi is a great horror writer, this is pure science fiction atm but presumably will go awry.
Born Fearless: From Kids' home to SAS Pirate Hunter By Phil Campion. Just about to finish them I'm moving on to...
Strangeways by Neil Samworth.
After really enjoying the last series of the Wheel of Time on Amazon, I decided to start reading the books again. I may regret this. I am quarter of the way through the first fairly enormous paperback and precisely one thing has occurred. Also spotted the first tugging-of-braids and crossing-arms-under-breasts in the wild, first of about 10 million.
Still, the payoff in 13 books time is going to be awesome.
Moon dust, in search of the men who fell to Earth, by Andrew Smith.
An extremely well written account of what happened after the Apollo astronauts returned to Earth. I've been meaning to read for ages, but a holiday has given me the perfect time. It's excellent.
It may be out of print - I bought a used copy.
PS Don't let the Richard & Judy recommended on the cover put you off!
Fantastic book, that - kickstarted my interest in Apollo and the space race all on it's own. 🙂
Self-duplicated 🙁
The Greatest Knight by Thomas Ashbridge.
If you like medieval history (which I do) this book brings so much of it together. The life of a truly remarkable man. Talk about living a full life...... William Marshall.
As a five-year-old boy, William was sentenced to execution and led to the gallows, yet this landless younger son survived his brush with death, and went on to train as a medieval knight. Rising through the ranks to serve at the right hand of five English monarchs, he became a celebrated tournament champion, baron, politician and, ultimately, regent of the realm. He befriended the great figures of his day, from Richard the Lionheart to the infamous King John, and helped to negotiate the terms of Magna Carta - the first 'bill of rights'. Yet at the age of seventy he was forced to fight in the frontline of one final battle, striving to save the kingdom from French invasion in 1217.
Just finished Alex Dowsett's book. Very good.
Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science and What the Ocean Tells Us About Ourselves
It's interesting, title pretty much explains what it's about. I'm about half way and it's not dragging yet.
The Greatest Knight
That sounds great! 🙂
If you like medieval history (which I do) this book brings so much of it together.
On a side note that period in history is fascinating and its somewhat odd how its mostly glossed over.
We have the bad King John trope with Robin Hood taking him on plus the magna carta and when he did something (often vague since it undermines the magna carta as a document) the barons went to war with him.
Its rarely mentioned how the future French king launched an invasion in alliance with those barons and was doing pretty well up until the point John died and a bunch of the rebellious barons went "its not you but us" and switched to support William Marshall as regent for Henry.
Going back to Robin Hood there is Willikin of the Weald who ran a guerrilla war using archers in the Kent and Sussex weald (which to get even more on a side note its fascinating to read medieval accounts since they suggest it really was a wilderness with few areas of habitation).
About half way through Adrian Tchaikovsky’s ‘Salute The Dark’, fourth in his ‘Shadows of the Apt’ series, where humans possess attributes of insect and invertebrate ancestors. Six more books to go.
Night Train to Odessa bye Jen Stout about the war in Ukraine.
If you like medieval history (which I do) this book brings so much of it together.
On a side note that period in history is fascinating and its somewhat odd how its mostly glossed over.
We have the bad King John trope with Robin Hood taking him on plus the magna carta and when he did something (often vague since it undermines the magna carta as a document) the barons went to war with him.
Its rarely mentioned how the future French king launched an invasion in alliance with those barons and was doing pretty well up until the point John died and a bunch of the rebellious barons went "its not you but us" and switched to support William Marshall as regent for Henry.
Going back to Robin Hood there is Willikin of the Weald who ran a guerrilla war using archers in the Kent and Sussex weald (which to get even more on a side note its fascinating to read medieval accounts since they suggest it really was a wilderness with few areas of habitation).
And two women of the period well worth reading up on.....Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Empress Matilda. Both pretty remarkable.
"Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee". Part of my plan of reading around the history of the American frontier. At least, it started that way, now its reading more like a bitter warning for whats happening to the Palestinians.
Ditto. Ploughing my way through Seabag-Montefiore's Jerusalem, and it just reinforces how culpable the UK for the horror show in the ME.
Read Franzen's last one Crossroads recently - the master of character in domestic crisis, effortless skill and sense of place (1971 US for this one), although it was hard to like most of the cast. Some tragic personalities and decision-making. He structures different time periods of the parents' lives in a way that reads seamlessly, but I suspect is technically a very hard thing to get right in a novel.
Towards the end of Scott Bakker's The Great ordeal at the moment - an apt title. Second sequence of books hasn't really landed for me, although I'm going to see it out. One of the more ambitious, epic, and horrible fantasy series I've read - grimdark without the humour or cynicism allows him to do some very original stuff, but it can drag terribly.
He had some problems with this one (meant to be a trilogy, turned into a tetralogy) so it's possible this is the weak link that is typical for multi-book fantasy series, hoping that the final one delivers.
After enjoying the easy reading fun of Mikey 7, I've moved on to the follow up (Antimatter Blues). Sadly it seems that he's forgotten all the parts that made the first book fun and turned the sequel into a fairly generic alien world romp. ~60% of the way though at the moment, so hopefully it redeems itself but I'm not really seeing it happening
Had a bit of Max Hastings bookathon to give me things to do with a busted collarbone. Finished "Chastise" which I'd started about 3 times (and after watching a couple of YT vids to remind me why I wanted all the detail) and Abyss which is his take on the Cuban Missile Crisis which I really enjoyed. Proper tense even when you know the outcome. And really interesting how JFK was making decisions.
Now reading the "HippoSync" series recommended by a fellow Pratchett nerd who reckoned it's written in a similar style. It's not really, but it's currently getting me through these lovely light and warm evenings without resorting to extensive beer fridge shuttling.
Fazzini. I too Have really enjoyed this book.
Just finished Alex Dowsett's book. Very good.
We have had a slow few days at work and this leaves me with 8 hours of nothing to do. In the last 3 days I have been indulging in my guilty pleasure of splatterpunk ( an extreme horror genre that focuses on graphic gore) books and have read .Cows, The Bighead, Exquisite corpse, Horror in the woods, Family Tradition,The Backwoods and a couple more that I can't remember the titles of. I am now pretty much desensitised to anything that can be written on a page!
We have had a slow few days at work and this leaves me with 8 hours of nothing to do. In the last 3 days I have been indulging in my guilty pleasure of splatterpunk ( an extreme horror genre that focuses on graphic gore) books and have read .Cows, The Bighead, Exquisite corpse, Horror in the woods, Family Tradition,The Backwoods and a couple more that I can't remember the titles of. I am now pretty much desensitised to anything that can be written on a page!
You could try some Dan Brown, see how that goes.
Thought I'd give Conn Igguldon a go, Dunstan.
Not sure I like his style of writing, but it has been a fascinating read.
The Greatest Knight
That sounds great! 🙂
It is and very readable as well
Took a punt on this - I'm halfway through and it is indeed ace! Great shout, thanks. 🙂
Had to go into hospital for a day of check ups earlier in the week - wanted something easy to read and interruptible....took Slash's autobiography. Hugely repetitive and predictable (drugs, booze, sex, violence, more drugs etc etc) but had some interesting details about the LA music scene in the late 70s/ 80s and about LA in general during that period. America really is a foreign country (as if we didn't know).
I like music biogs and this is not the worst I've read.
Reading Mark Morris - the Anglo Saxons - good so far. His book on the Norman Conquest was decent too.
Error of Judgement by Chris Mullin. Birmingham pub bombings,159 pages in and their still being battered from pillar to post.
Have just been recommended "Project Hail Mary" in advance of the film being released. It will go on the list for this weekend.
Having read Stuart Maconie's Full English a while back I picked up the book it follows, English Journey by JB Priestley. JBP has a trip around the UK between the WW1 and WW2 to see what is going on with England and the English. SM's followed the route around the same towns and cities 90 years later. Some remarkable similarities.
Not long finished the Benji Waterhouse book, which is an excellent read about his life in the NHS as a psychiatrist.
Have just been recommended "Project Hail Mary"
It is very good, though for me the Martian still is the better book (if you've read that, if not go read that too). I just hope they haven't butchered it too much (& wish the trailer hadn't given so much away), though apparently Mr. Gosling did push for the project, so may be...
Big Dunc. (Duncan Ferguson's autobiography) That's what I call literature!!
Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Pretty good and an interesting window into the past re. the delicate flowers that are the fairer sex.
On holiday and Mrs Pondo has discovered cross-stitch, which means I have loads of reading time - ace! 🙂
I left The Greatest Knight at home - just 50 pages or so left, really enjoying it but wanted to bring whole books, not almost-read ones. 🙂
The Looming Tower, by Lawrence Wright - really interesting history of bin Laden and Al Queda, sort of destroys the myth that it was (by 9/11) a huge, well-financed movement. Surprisingly readable.
Homage To Catalonia, by George Orwell - interesting read, if a bit overloaded with acronyms.
A Book Of Secrets, by Derren Brown - Almost brilliant, he can be genuinely laugh-out-loud funny, but the way he writes can sometimes be a little indulgent, it can get in the way of what he's saying.
Endeavour, by Peter Moore - a really enjoyable, very readable history of the bost that took Cook around the world.
just started The Call From The East, by Peter Frankopan, about the first crusade - a lot more readable than I was expecting! 🙂
Finished With the Old Guard by EB Sledge last week. Very readable, fascinating book about the Marines' island by island assault on the Japanese at the tail end of WW2.
Now moved onto The Tour According to G from Geraint Thomas, which I found in a free library. Not hugely well-written, but an easy read with lots of interesting little insights and nuggets about the Tour de France the year he won it.
Still enjoying myself with the Wheel Of Time, thought I'd take a break but I've just kept going, partway through the 6th book now,- they're getting fatter and slower but when it's good, it's very good. And when it's bad it's properly terrible.
Also this is the longest I've spent reading paper books for a long time, because I have the whole series that way from when it first came out. I'm a total ebook convert, absolutely love it but even I have to admit a fat book has its moments, sitting down to read another million pages of Nynaeve and Egwene being absolute arseholes somehow works better on paper.
I upgraded my ereader the other day to get me to stop doom scrolling.
I'm still on Seirian Sumners endless forms.
I've still got a pile of books upstairs that I need to finish reading.
Blindsight by Peter Watts - I do like a bit of sci-fi, in fact I should probably make an effort to read more non-SF stuff!
I'm technically also reading an Ian Rankin Rebus one, but I've read a couple of others since I last picked that up so it may or may not ever get finished. When I was younger I was a bit of a stickler for finishing books I'd started but these days I CBA with that if it's not really grabbing me.
The Trial by Franz Kafka which I picked up in my local Amnesty bookshop. Apparently Kafka didn't want his writings published, but without them being in print we wouldn't have the term kafkaesque which is amply demonstrated throughout this book by the bizarre situations the main character seems to find himself in through no fault of his own. It's the sort of book that I wouldn't have picked up if it hadn't been a quid in the Amnesty bookshop, so I'm glad that I did.
Just finished Proto. A book about the origins of European languages, less captivating than I was hoping, but still interesting enough, before that was Heresey Genuinely fascinating look at all the apocrypha (the Gospels of the early Chrsitianities* ultimately rejected) Jesus murdering people, Jesus getting imposters to take his place on the cross, Peter resurrecting sardines, Mary and her flaming vagina, Joseph wondering if he and Mary had drunk sex and they don't remember...It's all here, it's insane and wild.
Now on 38 Londres Street, about Nazis and Pinochet.
*not a typo.
I am just about to finish Ann Cleeves Shetland series. I read the first book at the start of June and now I am on the eighth and final book. They are very well written, good character building and interesting plots.
The books also differ from the tv show so if you have watched the show it won't spoil your enjoyment of the books. Though it's hard not to make comparisons with the tv take on the characters, both the books and tv show are excellent.
I have read the Wheel of Time series about four times now. They are slow in places. However when Brandon Sanderson took over the writing for the final three novels the pace of the story telling increases dramatically!
Reading the "Dungeon Crawler Carl" series. Very amusing.
John Fowles - The Collector. Fascinating book. Saw that it was made into a film with Terence Stamp.. who is absolutely nothing like the character in the book! Interesting
Following on from my earlier recommendation which I believe some here have now read of Thomas Asbridge's "The Greatest Knight" I've now started on his book "The Crusades". So far I've found it very readable as with the Greatest Knight. It's quite a complex subject and the various politics and alliances are always interesting on both the Christian and Muslim sides.
Some familiar names from the Greatest Knight have started to appear.... Stephen of Blois (later to become King Stephen who spared the life of our old friend William Marshall - the greatest knight).
George Pelecanos "3 Great novels" all in one massive volume. I have to rest it on my chest when reading in bed 😆
I've been re-reading the Robin Hobb "Realm of the Elderlings" novels - I own and had read the first three trilogies, but realised that although I was aware of the four-book "Rain Wild Chronicles" series I hadn't read the later ones and wasn't sure I had read any of them at all - turns out I hadn't read them at all, and was unaware of the subsequent "Fitz & The Fool" trilogy. I've got to the end of RWC and am taking a break to read a few other books (Luke Rowe's "Road Captain" and Ned Boulting's "The Accidental Tour-ist" are next up having just quickly read the latest ones from Ann Cleeves and James Oswald) before I go back for the final trilogy. Got a few others lined up on the shelf, mostly older books from the Charity shop - couple of Charles Cummings (espionage) books, three from Rachel Lynch (crime), a Paula Hawkins (also crime), Hugh Howey's Wool (which I recently discovered is the source material for the excellent Silo TV series I've been enjoying) and a few others...
Just started reading an old 'hard' Sci-Fi novel that I picked up in the Oxfam bookshop called The Avatar by Poul Anderson. I think I'm enjoying it. I do like old Sci-Fi, preferably pre space race before actual science ruined everything by showing us there are no verdant jungles on Venus or cities on Mars.
A new book regarding the immense talent that was Martyn Bennett arrived today, it was 20 years ago that cancer took him
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I bought this for my mates 17yr son for Xmas as I got him into Martyn Bennett a few years ago with his album “Grit” but I think I’ll have to keep this copy for myself as I’m 50+ pages into it.
Review of the book below by Alan McClure, writer/musician/teacher from my town, and he also taught my mates son to complete the circle , funnily enough Martyn used to play/perform with us in the school Mod at Oban high school in mid 80’s when I was there in 2nd/3rd/4th year but I can’t remember him.
https://youtu.be/jSRHpA2giUk?si=DWdHsH6vJsKjnTfz
Edit - what’s up with the above YouTube link not showing up?, yet more stw forum fails?
Just finished The satanic verses and I'm still not sure what I think about it, if you're into WW2 history I can highly recommend Brothers in arms by James Holland, it's a sobering story of the Sherwood rangers from D-Day to VE-day
Just started reading an old 'hard' Sci-Fi novel that I picked up in the Oxfam bookshop called The Avatar by Poul Anderson. I think I'm enjoying it. I do like old Sci-Fi, preferably pre space race before actual science ruined everything by showing us there are no verdant jungles on Venus or cities on Mars.
I love old sci-fi (partly cause I grew up with it I guess) - there were some great ideas there. Not always written up too well - some of Heinlein's stuff is just a dirge - but fascinating nonetheless.
I’m trying to get hold of a copy of Jenny Starpepper and the huge white gibbon by Adam Shadowchild, but no luck so far….