Book thread: what are you reading?

[Futtocks]

Just now, glemiln said:

Currently revisiting John Wyndham’s beautifully written 1951 novel  “The Day of the Triffids” - I was 9 at the time of publication, but did not read it until early teens.  Some parallels with some in the current Covid situation:  “ An obstinate refusal to face facts isn’t going to bring anything back, or help us at all”.....”It must be one of the Race’s most persistent and comforting hallucinations to trust that it can’t happen here - that one’s own little time and place is beyond cataclysms.”   Least said about the film version!  

I got a whole stack of John Wyndham books for Christmas a few years ago, having read them years before but only owning a couple of titles. He also wrote as John Beynon, Lucas Parkes, and other permutations of his full name, John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris. All good stuff, and I'd definitely recommend 'The Chrysalids' and 'The Kraken wakes' of the novels. The latter has become a little too current when it addresses rising sea levels.

Of his short stories, 'Confidence Trick' always gives me a chuckle. Set on the London underground, it rapidly goes very weird, but the conclusion is thought-provoking as well as funny.

[glemiln]

16 hours ago, Futtocks said:

I'd definitely recommend 'The Chrysalids' and 'The Kraken wakes'

These, along with Triffids, Seeds of Time, Trouble with Lichen and The Midwich Cuckoos are in a one volume hardback (1980 Heinmann/Octopus/Secker) I found cheaply.  860pp and heavy, but not the reading!
There is a huge library of ‘older’ and well written SCI- FI out there somewhere.
One of my favourites from 1972 - one man’s (and his robots) Journey to the centre of the galaxy.

 

 

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The Stars Came Down

 

by 

Richard Saxon

 3.14  ·   Rating details ·  7 ratings  ·  1 review

From the rear cover:

Jon Graeme started up from the couch with a strangled cry. It was too much. He was a fool. The others had been right - the thing was impossible, unthinkable. But the silent figures in the conrol rooms continued to watch the meters and no one turned back to stare at Earth. At last, man was on his way to the stars.

[Bleep1673]

Ok, I will admit it. I was up to 0300 this morning, then read the rest of it from 10.00.

Love in the time of cholera. 6th time.

[gingerjon]

On 30/04/2020 at 19:39, glemiln said:

Currently revisiting John Wyndham’s beautifully written 1951 novel  “The Day of the Triffids” - I was 9 at the time of publication, but did not read it until early teens.  Some parallels with some in the current Covid situation:  “ An obstinate refusal to face facts isn’t going to bring anything back, or help us at all”.....”It must be one of the Race’s most persistent and comforting hallucinations to trust that it can’t happen here - that one’s own little time and place is beyond cataclysms.”   Least said about the film version!  

I read a criticism of Wyndham a few years ago that was, basically, his disasters are too polite. That people are mostly okay despite the apocalypse - the 'it' only comes occasionally.

And yet, in this pandemic, that is *exactly* how it is. Britons are dying, even now, at the rate of one a minute from disease that has no cure. And yet, for most people, the biggest issue of the day has been that it's Joe Wicks's wife doing the morning PE lesson.

[Futtocks]

1 hour ago, gingerjon said:

I read a criticism of Wyndham a few years ago that was, basically, his disasters are too polite. That people are mostly okay despite the apocalypse - the 'it' only comes occasionally.

And yet, in this pandemic, that is *exactly* how it is. Britons are dying, even now, at the rate of one a minute from disease that has no cure. And yet, for most people, the biggest issue of the day has been that it's Joe Wicks's wife doing the morning PE lesson.

Polite disasters, like most of the planet being blinded and hunted by carnivorous plants, while the few sighted survivors revert to superstition or the rule of the gun? What was the critic hoping for instead?

One of the things I like about Wyndham is that he leaves his disaster stories hanging on the final page. More "pulp" sci-fi authors would take it to either full victory or total defeat, but Wyndham's protagonists tend to end the book in a state of either cautious optimism (Kraken, Triffids) or with a sense that things are going to get worse (Web).

[gingerjon]

10 hours ago, Futtocks said:

Polite disasters, like most of the planet being blinded and hunted by carnivorous plants, while the few sighted survivors revert to superstition or the rule of the gun? What was the critic hoping for instead?

One of the things I like about Wyndham is that he leaves his disaster stories hanging on the final page. More "pulp" sci-fi authors would take it to either full victory or total defeat, but Wyndham's protagonists tend to end the book in a state of either cautious optimism (Kraken, Triffids) or with a sense that things are going to get worse (Web).

I've found the reference but not the article. It was a quote from Brian Aldiss who disparagingly referred to Wyndham's work as "cozy catastrophes" because of the unseen nature of much of the drama within and how much of the books is well-heeled English people keeping calm and carrying on. The article I read came down on Aldiss's side.

Personally, I disagree - as is shown by the fact that I'd not read any Wyndham before I read the article but I've read a few of the novels since (and would have read more but they went through a phase of being bizarrely unavailable from a popular online retailer, I suspect that's changed now).

The bit in bold I think is key. 

[Old Frightful]

Just finished reading the Greg Iles trilogy, Natchez Burning, The Bone Tree and Mississippi Blood.

Very enjoyable and at times very moving. 

 

[Futtocks]

On 05/05/2020 at 07:52, gingerjon said:

I've found the reference but not the article. It was a quote from Brian Aldiss who disparagingly referred to Wyndham's work as "cozy catastrophes" because of the unseen nature of much of the drama within and how much of the books is well-heeled English people keeping calm and carrying on. The article I read came down on Aldiss's side.

Personally, I disagree - as is shown by the fact that I'd not read any Wyndham before I read the article but I've read a few of the novels since (and would have read more but they went through a phase of being bizarrely unavailable from a popular online retailer, I suspect that's changed now).

The bit in bold I think is key. 

If it was Brian Aldiss, I can understand that. Judging by his own writing, he liked things to be more weird and difficult. Sometimes it works, sometimes it is almost unreadable.

[Mumby Magic]

Well Zlatan's book is in my top 5 biographys along with Marco Pierre White's and Duncan Bannatyne's. He's left it open for a second one too. 

On with Terry Venables second book now.

[Geoff Lee]

At present I am taking time off from writing my novels and so have had time to read three quite different but enjoyable books.

"Rugby Football: A United Game". This is a novel based on what might have happened if instead of breaking away, the northern clubs had been in the majority in 1895  and taken control of our sport. Written by Peter Lush (London League Publications)"

"A Very Miner MP".  the biography of former Labour MP  Geoff Lofthouse  Yorkshire Arts Circus 1985

"The Little Book of Puns" written by Alison Westwood. Ingenious wordplay and groan inducing quips a la Groucho Marx and "What's Posterity Ever Done For Me" and Billy Connolly's "Why should I learn algebra  I'm never likely to go there".

No one appears to have read any of my six novels yet. The latest is called "Three Good Years" and has a background of Work, Family Life, Saving the NHS and Rugby League".   (London League Publications)          

[Route66]

Been back visiting hmv for my books since lockdown, 2 for £6,read Fahrenheit 451,the boys from Brazil and a brave new world now ready to attempt Dune,I really want to enjoy this ,any thoughts

[Futtocks]

15 hours ago, Route66 said:

Been back visiting hmv for my books since lockdown, 2 for £6,read Fahrenheit 451,the boys from Brazil and a brave new world now ready to attempt Dune,I really want to enjoy this ,any thoughts

'Dune' is a biggie, with a lot of internal dialogue. Good, though. There's a new attempt at a movie adaptation coming this year, so maybe they'll nail it this time.

David Lynch's version gets occasional bits of it right, but far too much of it is clunky, awkward and even unintentionally hilarious.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

15 hours ago, Route66 said:

Been back visiting hmv for my books since lockdown, 2 for £6,read Fahrenheit 451,the boys from Brazil and a brave new world now ready to attempt Dune,I really want to enjoy this ,any thoughts

All brilliant novels, fehrenheit 451 one of my favourites.

Dune is a big read, so many characters, so much character building and background information on character ancestry and family history and what not. It is brilliant if you can stick with it but can be tough to get drawn into because of all the aforementioned factors interrupting the main story. I remember only finishing it on my 3rd attempt but it was worth going back to and persevering with.

Just as an aside, another novel I just cannot get on with is Neuromancer by William Gibson. 

[Futtocks]

13 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

'Dune' is a biggie, with a lot of internal dialogue. Good, though. There's a new attempt at a movie adaptation coming this year, so maybe they'll nail it this time.

David Lynch's version gets occasional bits of it right, but far too much of it is clunky, awkward and even unintentionally hilarious.

PS: If you like Dune and want to read other books from the series, stick to the ones actually written by Frank Herbert. I have read a couple from the ever-expanding Dune industry from other writers, including his son, and they didn't satisfy me.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

1 hour ago, Futtocks said:

PS: If you like Dune and want to read other books from the series, stick to the ones actually written by Frank Herbert. I have read a couple from the ever-expanding Dune industry from other writers, including his son, and they didn't satisfy me.

I second this!

[JonM]

17 hours ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

Just as an aside, another novel I just cannot get on with is Neuromancer by William Gibson. 

I read it not long after it came out (in my early teens) and loved it. I've got a lot out of his books since then too. He's been hugely influential. Haven't re-read it in ~30 years though, I wonder how well it has survived the passage of time. You've reminded me that I need to get his latest one, Agency. 

[Bleep1673]

My next door neighbour, who is dying of 3 types of cancer, (Lung, Kidney & Bowel), recently gave my 11 year old daughter a book he had collected, as a book seller, as a gift, as he knew she reads quite a lot, and he thought she might enjoy it, it was called Quality Street (as in the sweets) by J.M. Barrie, who wrote Peter Pan, all the pages are hand crafted, plus the book is a limited edition of 78/1000 that have been signed by the Illustrator in it's first edition, 1904, & is in exquisite condition considering it is 116 years old. It is written as a play, and has been performed many times in the 1910/20's.

I did an Internet search, and found recent copies were selling for £400+, can I accept this as a gift? He also has a bookcase he is concerned about, containing 200 year old+ copies of rare texts, when he dies, they will be sold at auction, but he is offering them to me. Should I take them?

[Bleep1673]

1000 replies

[Lowdesert]

On 07/04/2020 at 00:37, Saintslass said:

I've just finished reading two books about actual spies by the same author: Ben Macintyre.  One was about Kim Philby (obvs!) and I enjoyed it but the other I found utterly gripping.  It's called The Spy and the Traitor and is about Oleg Gordievsky, a colonel in the KGB who ended up spying for MI6 until he was betrayed, and he was spirited out of the USSR in the kind of operation which had Hollywood written all over it.  How they succeeded I don't know but they did, and Gordievsky is still alive, living somewhere in the UK under an assumed name (and with a 24 hour armed guard since the Skripal poisonings). 

Both good reads.  McIntyre is a writer I enjoy.

Try Agent Zig Zag.  Unbelievable story of a chancer, womaniser, etc etc becoming a double agent between Germany and England during Ww2 years.

[Robin Evans]

Now here's a novelty..... i am about to read a book. I think the last book I read for anything other than reference was at least 34 years ago.... i remember as I'd broke my leg playing for wath at ponty.

I've read it before like.... but wilt by Tom Sharp perhaps reflects my adolescent humour.

 

[Futtocks]

I'm currently re-reading Raw Spirit, Iain Banks' book about Scotch whisky. It is also about other things, but mostly about whisky. Good-natured fun and often silly, but you still (sic) learn quite a bit about the subject.

[Trevorkfevfan]

I am in the middle of a very entertaining read. '###### Las Vegas'. It a fond look at the history and stars that appeared at Batley Variety Club.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

Rereading War of the Worlds again. First time in a few years I read it. So gripping and fast paced, pulls you right into the story. Its interesting reading about 19th century London and picking out how it's changed in the modern day, for example describing places like Barnet, Twickenham and Kew as completely separate towns separated by just small lanes and people fleeing Martians in horse and carts. Brilliant! Absolute classic! 

[The Hallucinating Goose]

That's War of the Words done, fantastic book. At the mo I'm just picking books at random off my vast sci-fi shelves. Next is 'The Body Snatchers' by Jack Finney. 

[Futtocks]

Graham Greene - The Ministry of Fear. An unsettling little book, set during WWII, and was one of the first Greene titles I ever read.