Book thread: what are you reading?

[westlondonfan]

Reading Sideways by Rex Pickett.

[Futtocks]

Iain M.Banks - The Algebraist. The first non-Kindle book I've read in a few weeks, and I had to pick a heavy one, didn't I!

[krakauer]

On 8/9/2018 at 2:41 AM, Vambo said:

Animal Farm.

It's been over 30 years since I last read it. I'm still amazed how Orwell managed to say so much in relatively few words.

I recently finished his "Road to Wigan Pier" fantastic trip through different social strata in and around RL homelands.

[Futtocks]

Henri Charrière - Papillon. It has been decades since I last read this terrific adventure story. 
And, while not all the things in the book may have actually happened to Henri himself, most of the stories have factual origins in the French Guiana penal colonies. 

[ckn]

Right, off on holiday next month and I intend to have at least a couple of down-days of doing nothing but sitting on the balcony overlooking the Bay of Naples and reading.  I'm out of new books to read and the Amazon recommendations aren't exactly inspiring me to go buying.  I'm looking for recommendations.

I'm mainly a sci-fi & fantasy type but I do like the occasional thriller and crime novel.

I have all the sci-fi books by these authors: Banks, Feist, Erikson, Jordan, Pratchett, Rothfuss, Brett, Canavan, Butcher and many of the similar ones.

On the thriller side, I have all the Clancy books (the ones written by him, not the ones passed off as hum) and some of the Jack   Reacher books.  They're throwaway reads mainly for times I know I'll be distracted.

On the crime side, I only really have the Ian Rankin Rebus books.  I managed to get an omnibus of about the first 20 books for almost nothing on my Kindle a while ago and I do quite like them.

So... any recommendations along those lines? Especially for newer books that I may have missed?

[DavidM]

12 minutes ago, ckn said:

Right, off on holiday next month and I intend to have at least a couple of down-days of doing nothing but sitting on the balcony overlooking the Bay of Naples and reading.  I'm out of new books to read and the Amazon recommendations aren't exactly inspiring me to go buying.  I'm looking for recommendations.

I'm mainly a sci-fi & fantasy type but I do like the occasional thriller and crime novel.

I have all the sci-fi books by these authors: Banks, Feist, Erikson, Jordan, Pratchett, Rothfuss, Brett, Canavan, Butcher and many of the similar ones.

On the thriller side, I have all the Clancy books (the ones written by him, not the ones passed off as hum) and some of the Jack   Reacher books.  They're throwaway reads mainly for times I know I'll be distracted.

On the crime side, I only really have the Ian Rankin Rebus books.  I managed to get an omnibus of about the first 20 books for almost nothing on my Kindle a while ago and I do quite like them.

So... any recommendations along those lines? Especially for newer books that I may have missed?

I’d have been ok if you’d said historical whodunnits or history books , my bday next week so I’ve ordered a few as gifts from relatives 

[Futtocks]

11 hours ago, ckn said:

Right, off on holiday next month and I intend to have at least a couple of down-days of doing nothing but sitting on the balcony overlooking the Bay of Naples and reading.  I'm out of new books to read and the Amazon recommendations aren't exactly inspiring me to go buying.  I'm looking for recommendations.

I'm mainly a sci-fi & fantasy type but I do like the occasional thriller and crime novel.

I have all the sci-fi books by these authors: Banks, Feist, Erikson, Jordan, Pratchett, Rothfuss, Brett, Canavan, Butcher and many of the similar ones.

On the thriller side, I have all the Clancy books (the ones written by him, not the ones passed off as hum) and some of the Jack   Reacher books.  They're throwaway reads mainly for times I know I'll be distracted.

On the crime side, I only really have the Ian Rankin Rebus books.  I managed to get an omnibus of about the first 20 books for almost nothing on my Kindle a while ago and I do quite like them.

So... any recommendations along those lines? Especially for newer books that I may have missed?

Tried any Gregory Benford? A proper actual scientist who also writes SF. My first, and favourite book of his is 'In the Ocean of Night' which spawned a whole bunch of sequels in the 'Galactic Centre' series. There are a few passages about sex which are a bit clunky and naff, but they are mercifully brief and the central character is strongly written and the sub-plots integrate well. It also builds a scenario that the sequels expand upon, if you liked the original book. Mind you, some of the science in the later books is seriously weird, but he's the expert.

Edited September 15, 2018 by Futtocks

[ckn]

9 hours ago, Futtocks said:

Tried any Gregory Benford? A proper actual scientist who also writes SF. My first, and favourite book of his is 'In the Ocean of Night' which spawned a whole bunch of sequels in the 'Galactic Centre' series. There are a few passages about sex which are a bit clunky and naff, but they are mercifully brief and the central character is strongly written and the sub-plots integrate well. It also builds a scenario that the sequels expand upon, if you liked the original book. Mind you, some of the science in the later books is seriously weird, but he's the expert.

I'll have a look, thanks.

Your post reminded me of the audiobook series of books by Dennis E Taylor starting with We Are Legion (We Are Bob) that were excellent listens.  Might have to download them again for the trip...

[getdownmonkeyman]

Been given a copy of Shaun Ryder’s autobiography. I f it is remotely to the truth, it should make an interesting read.

[Futtocks]

Currently three quarters of the way through Mark Kermode's newest book, How does it feel? This addresses his life in music and the various bands he was in over the years. I'm enjoying it a lot.

[Futtocks]

Finished the Mark Kermode book, and loved it.

Now a few chapters into a long overdue re-read of Redmond O'Hanlon's hilarious Into the Heart of Borneo.

[Moose]

Just bought a secondhand copy of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. I hadn't realised it was such a short book, only 121 pages.

[Futtocks]

Just finished Paul Theroux 'The Pillars of Hercules', and now cherry-picking a few favourite chapters from the Hunter S.Thompson compilation 'Fear & Loathing at Rolling Stone'.

Maybe I'll start Geoff Lee's new book next.

[Bleep1673]

On ‎9‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 1:52 PM, Futtocks said:

Currently three quarters of the way through Mark Kermode's newest book, How does it feel? This addresses his life in music and the various bands he was in over the years. I'm enjoying it a lot.

Mark Kermode is a tosser, who hates films, He is a 1990's numpty

[gingerjon]

Just now, Bleep1673 said:

Mark Kermode is a tosser, who hates films

Hang on. You might not like him but that's obviously BS.

[Bleep1673]

Just finished Love in the time of Cholera, again. I have read it about five times & it still makes me cry. I date the books when I read them & Gabriel Garcia Marquez is one of the few writers that make me cry

[Bleep1673]

4 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Hang on. You might not like him but that's obviously BS.

He is anti-American films. That's not a bad point, but he is almost right wing anti American, and he pushes European left wing, garbage like it is going to win millions of dollars, and mucho gracias awards because they are not paying him enough. If you watch his best & worst films of the last 10 years, the worst are all blockbuster American/Hollywood bile that have made $Millions, the ones he "Likes" are arty-farty Euro bull-S41t that no one has seen

[Clogiron]

Partway through Jane & Chris Roberts The Greatest Sacrifice, about time the game had something like this, excellently researched.

[gingerjon]

1 hour ago, Moose said:

Just bought a secondhand copy of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. I hadn't realised it was such a short book, only 121 pages.

Yeah, it sorta stays with you though ...

[DavidM]

Finished Tombland today . 850 pages . I got it on my birthday ... 21 Sep 

[ckn]

2 hours ago, Moose said:

Just bought a secondhand copy of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. I hadn't realised it was such a short book, only 121 pages.

I haven't read it since school and it has stuck in there but ripping it apart in school in such a way has fairly wrecked it for me as a re-read.  Is it still a core curriculum book at schools?

[henage]

Confessions of a Speedway Promoter . John Berry . 

[JonM]

18 hours ago, ckn said:

I haven't read it since school and it has stuck in there but ripping it apart in school in such a way has fairly wrecked it for me as a re-read.  Is it still a core curriculum book at schools?

Both my sons did it for GCSE within the past 5 years, so yes. Unfortunately, secondary school english literature does have that effect on any book. (Although, to be fair, Lord of the Flies is absolute rubbish whether you did it at school or not.) Steinbeck did some really great work.

[Route66]

Reading Stuart McConies long road from Jarrow, another informative offering from him,we should never forget the struggles of the British working class

[Moose]

Suitcase packed, off for a fortnight in the sun. I'm taking Carl Hiaasen - Bad Monkey, Steinbeck - Of Mice and Men, James Lee Burke - Sunset Limited and James Ellroy - The Black Dahlia.