Book thread: what are you reading?

[Clogiron]

3 hours ago, Leeds Wire said:

Any good?  I read The Forbidden Game and was hoping the sequel wasn't a let down....

Very, about 2/3rds through, cover's much more of the Vichy era and the RU's conniving. On the second Australisan tour at present so might be a bit confined to cover the last 60+ years but that era was the golden time of French RL. Would recommend it without a doubt.

[The Future is League]

I have just finished reading Camino Island a non courtroom John Grisham novel. A really great read. A page turner

[westlondonfan]

Reading/listening to Hard Times. Is it just me or is Charles Dickens  a bit wordy, sentimental and unnecessarily long winded? Perhaps it is the antiquated language I suppose. His stories make superb television programs and films though.

[Bob8]

I have gone a tad high brow. 

https://www.saxo.com/dk/the-origins-and-history-of-consciousness_erich-neumann_paperback_9780415864305?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI06nkv4v83wIVyNmyCh3RWQBkEAQYAyABEgITFPD_BwE

Intense and makes leaps, but wonderfully thought stimulating. 

[The Hallucinating Goose]

I am currently reading, making sense of the troubles, a good, detailed history of the northern Ireland conflict, maybe a tad too focused on the politics side of it but still an interesting read. I've got reporting on the troubles lined up which is a collection of memories from loads of journalists that worked in Northern Ireland during those awful times, really looking forward to that! 

[Moose]

On 1/20/2019 at 7:48 AM, westlondonfan said:

Reading/listening to Hard Times. Is it just me or is Charles Dickens  a bit wordy, sentimental and unnecessarily long winded? Perhaps it is the antiquated language I suppose. His stories make superb television programs and films though.

This explains why.

https://dickens.ucsc.edu/resources/faq/by-the-word.html

[Phil]

On 1/21/2019 at 3:41 PM, The Hallucinating Goose said:

I am currently reading, making sense of the troubles, a good, detailed history of the northern Ireland conflict, maybe a tad too focused on the politics side of it but still an interesting read. I've got reporting on the troubles lined up which is a collection of memories from loads of journalists that worked in Northern Ireland during those awful times, really looking forward to that! 

I can recommend War and an Irish Town by Eamonn McCann, it’s not an unpartisan report but both sides in the conflict come in for some stern criticism 

[The Hallucinating Goose]

1 hour ago, Phil said:

I can recommend War and an Irish Town by Eamonn McCann, it’s not an unpartisan report but both sides in the conflict come in for some stern criticism 

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll check it out! 

[Clogiron]

Roy Hudd's Cavelcade of Variety Acts 1945-60 remember some of them from seaside shows when I was boy and of course TV.

[Phil]

Salem’s Lot Stephen King. Re-visited this after a few years. Still very good imo. Barlow’s letter to the protagonists still brings me out in goosebumps “you think to contend with me puny mortals? I who was old when Rome was a group of mud huts on the banks of the Tiber?”

[Clogiron]

Antony Beevor: The Second World War. Better late than never, it's been staring at me on one of the bookshelves saying 'come on I dare you, you know you want to' for month's, fact is I've had to undergo a intensive course of bicep curls just to pick the bu**er up. Should keep me occupied for a while

[The Hallucinating Goose]

16 hours ago, Clogiron said:

Antony Beevor: The Second World War. Better late than never, it's been staring at me on one of the bookshelves saying 'come on I dare you, you know you want to' for month's, fact is I've had to undergo a intensive course of bicep curls just to pick the bu**er up. Should keep me occupied for a while

Ive got the hardback of that, like yourself I have yet to tackle it. Dragging it along the ground from the shop and having to stop to rehydrate every ten metres or so has kind of put me off. I can't even say I bought it on an optomistic Monday cos I think it was a Saturday, half price in smiths, big stack of them, should have told me something..... 

[Futtocks]

Jonathan Meades - Filthy English. A collection of short stories by the writer and broadcaster.

I'm three stories in, and it is pretty depraved stuff. 

[DavidM]

18 hours ago, Clogiron said:

Antony Beevor: The Second World War. Better late than never, it's been staring at me on one of the bookshelves saying 'come on I dare you, you know you want to' for month's, fact is I've had to undergo a intensive course of bicep curls just to pick the bu**er up. Should keep me occupied for a while

Yeh I’ve got the certificate for reading that . I prefered Andrew Roberts and Max Hastings volumes tbh . The more I read of him though the more I think James Holland is becoming the best of the lot . His first two volumes of the war in the west were outstanding and all of his books on the subject are breathtaking in scope and detail 

[Clogiron]

1 hour ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

Ive got the hardback of that, like yourself I have yet to tackle it. Dragging it along the ground from the shop and having to stop to rehydrate every ten metres or so has kind of put me off. I can't even say I bought it on an optomistic Monday cos I think it was a Saturday, half price in smiths, big stack of them, should have told me something..... 

Think I got it at Smiths too, actually with what I have read so far it's quite interesting and very readable fortunately. 

Sad to hear from DavidM that you only get a certificate for reading it, not that I agree with the system but I think people have received OBE/MBEs for less

 

[DavidM]

26 minutes ago, Clogiron said:

Think I got it at Smiths too, actually with what I have read so far it's quite interesting and very readable fortunately. 

Sad to hear from DavidM that you only get a certificate for reading it, not that I agree with the system but I think people have received OBE/MBEs for less

 

Politicians and their mates have got knighthoods for less

[JDINTHEHIZZOUSE]

just finished reading"cocky" the story of Curtis warren,liverpools very own drug dealing god,wish I hadn't bothered and I hope he rots in jail

[Route66]

The Penultimate truth by Philip k.dick,absolutely fantastic read from one of the best ever sci-fi authors 

[Farmduck]

16 hours ago, Route66 said:

The Penultimate truth by Philip k.dick,absolutely fantastic read from one of the best ever sci-fi authors 

I read that years ago when I read nearly all his stuff. I think I read at least 40 of the novels and the five collections of short stories.

[CanaBull]

Picked up a copy of 'Forgotten' by Linda Hervieux, an account of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, the only African American unit on the Normandy beaches on June 6th, their exploits and experiences in Jim Crow era America.  Well worth a read.

https://www.voanews.com/a/d-day-forgotten-african-american-heroes/3188945.html

[Mister Ting]

A few years back I heard a loud thud that sounded like the living room window had been hit by something. On initial inspection I noticed a mess on the window.  With my Deerstalker, I ventured into the garden whereupon I discovered the cause of the commotion.

I've just got "The Genius of Birds."

 

[The Future is League]

Finished reading yesterday "The people vs Alex Cross" by James Patterson. A very good read and so true in the modern world.

 

[The Hallucinating Goose]

On 1/28/2019 at 12:43 AM, Route66 said:

The Penultimate truth by Philip k.dick,absolutely fantastic read from one of the best ever sci-fi authors 

A fantastic book by my all-time favourite author. Which is your favourite of his? Mine are counter-clock world and a scanner darkly. 

[Futtocks]

Mary Renault's 'The King must die'. Part 1 in her novelisation of the Theseus myth. Great writing, classic source material, and I will be following this with the sequel 'The Bull from the Sea'.

[Route66]

2 hours ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

A fantastic book by my all-time favourite author. Which is your favourite of his? Mine are counter-clock world and a scanner darkly. 

Over the years I've read books of all genres but apart from Earth Abides by George.R.Stewart never read sci-fi until reading Philip k dicks electric dreams which really blew my mind.Therefore the penultimate truth is the first full novel of his for me and have also got ubik and our friends from frolix 8 at home but thanks for the recommendations as his back catalogue is huge (I'll check hmvs 2 for £5 offers as that's where the others came from)