Book thread: what are you reading?

[The Hallucinating Goose]

On 13/10/2023 at 15:54, OnStrike said:

Great stuff, hope you like it...keep me posted!

I've started the book tonight! 

[OnStrike]

1 hour ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

I've started the book tonight! 

Great stuff. For some reason I'm nervous as to whether you'll like it or not now! 

I might actually start rereading it next week

Edited October 21, 2023 by OnStrike

[hindle xiii]

On 08/10/2023 at 23:39, hindle xiii said:

I inhaled the second book since the post of mine you quoted. The text was larger so quite possibly not as long as book 1.

Third book started and finished this weekend.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

22 hours ago, OnStrike said:

Great stuff. For some reason I'm nervous as to whether you'll like it or not now! 

I might actually start rereading it next week

I'm not gonna let on much while I'm actually reading it but I will just say, good start.

[Midlands hobo]

Just started "surrounded by idiots"

An Amusing title will see how it pans out.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

I've just passed 200 pages @OnStrike. It took me a couple of days to really get used to the very unique style of writing but I'm getting very into it now. 

[OnStrike]

12 hours ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

I've just passed 200 pages @OnStrike. It took me a couple of days to really get used to the very unique style of writing but I'm getting very into it now. 

Yes it's a very unique and possibly old fasioned style, but glad you're getting into it. I found the portrayl of the the relative squalor of the castle, the pointlessness of some of the feuding and fighting refreshing. The medieval superstition and belief in magic is also captured very well as is the lack of knowledge about what is going on even a few miles up the road, never mind in other countries/kingdoms. And (maybe because it was written so long ago) there was a refreshing lack of trying to write our 21st century Western values back into the story. For good and bad, the characters are believably very much of their time. Hope you enjoy the rest

Edited October 27, 2023 by OnStrike

[The Hallucinating Goose]

I was just wondering how fast others read? I consider myself a slow reader, reading about 30 pages an hour on average. Is that slow? I don't know, so how fast do you lot read? 

[Futtocks]

6 minutes ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

I was just wondering how fast others read? I consider myself a slow reader, reading about 30 pages an hour on average. Is that slow? I don't know, so how fast do you lot read? 

Since I started working from home, I'm reading a hell of a lot less. I used to get through a lot of books while commuting because of the lack of other distractions.

[Lowdesert]

Don’t know if anyone’s interested in military history but I’ve just finished A Woman of No Importance.  Story of a woman who became a spy for the allies in France during WW2.

Ive read tonnes of these type of books and the bravery of those involved beggars belief but the story of Virginia Hall, her bravery, determination etc just blew me away.  In my top three books and I would recommend.

[Futtocks]

49 minutes ago, Lowdesert said:

Don’t know if anyone’s interested in military history but I’ve just finished A Woman of No Importance.  Story of a woman who became a spy for the allies in France during WW2.

Ive read tonnes of these type of books and the bravery of those involved beggars belief but the story of Virginia Hall, her bravery, determination etc just blew me away.  In my top three books and I would recommend.

I've recommended this before to fans of war stories, but History's Secret Heroes is worth a listen. Ten stories, most of which the majority of people wouldn't have known of before, and HBC's rather lovely voice is a bonus.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001mcbp

[Lowdesert]

10 hours ago, Futtocks said:

I've recommended this before to fans of war stories, but History's Secret Heroes is worth a listen. Ten stories, most of which the majority of people wouldn't have known of before, and HBC's rather lovely voice is a bonus.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001mcbp

I’ll have a look Futtocks, cheers!

[The Hallucinating Goose]

On 27/10/2023 at 10:52, OnStrike said:

Yes it's a very unique and possibly old fasioned style, but glad you're getting into it. I found the portrayl of the the relative squalor of the castle, the pointlessness of some of the feuding and fighting refreshing. The medieval superstition and belief in magic is also captured very well as is the lack of knowledge about what is going on even a few miles up the road, never mind in other countries/kingdoms. And (maybe because it was written so long ago) there was a refreshing lack of trying to write our 21st century Western values back into the story. For good and bad, the characters are believably very much of their time. Hope you enjoy the rest

500 pages down, less than 100 to go!

[The Hallucinating Goose]

@OnStrike I've finished.

I don't think I've ever read such a deep character study as this one. As the reader, you are put right into the middle of these peoples' lives, experiencing every little tiny bit of their existance and with that you are immersed in their world, plonked right into the middle of that castle. You are in bed with these people, you are in the saddle with them. You are really connected to these characters and experience their emotions as much as they themselves are. 

From what I know of medieval history (a subject I am very interested in), I feel that it is such an accurate portrayal of that time. It is incredible how the feeling and atmosphere of that time resonates off the page, in the feeling of emptiness, isolation, bleekness that you get from the setting of the castle. You really get the impression you are isolated in the middle of nowhere, days from anywhere, almost imprisoned, so to speak, by the forest that surrounds the castle. I think the feeling of emptiness comes from the lack of description of the environment; while the characters are developed and described in such great detail, very little is said about the make up of the world. I don't know if this was purposefully done or not. 

I agree with you that the casual use of religion and magic and superstition was very refreshing. These subjects are treated with the respect that they would have been given during the middle ages and not used as a sideshow, almost mocked, like they would be in some modern historical novels. It is not seen as a joke when Lady Alis summons someone who is essentially a witch to give potions and remedies to her ailing children because this is just what happened at the time. I have read other modern novels set during this time where only a really eccentric, crazy character would resort to such methods. This relates to what you said as well about not trying to apply 21st century values and beliefs to this time period, something you see far too much in historical fiction. I read one series recently that was set in Victorian Times but if you weren't told this you wouldn't have a clue, it could so easily have been set yesterday with how modern the characters and story was. It is very clear with this novel that you are in the middle ages. 

While this is an incredible character study, my main criticism of the novel comes essentially from its real lack of any linear plot. Apart from the 100 or so pages set in the middle east, I just found it so dull. I've read close to 600 pages where virtually nothing exciting or interesting happens. Like I say, aside from those 100 pages it is just two people sitting around a castle with a strained marriage doing nothing. He occasionally goes off to a tournament but there is no detail given about said event, no action or excitement offered up, he just goes off then a paragraph later comes back. While he's gone, she will probably have a miscarriage. This is probably done on purpose to reinforce that real feeling of isolation that is maintained, in that, as an ordinary member of the household, you don't go off on adventure with the Lord, you are forced to stay in the darkness and bleekness of the castle, and that is fantastically put across, but it also just made the tone so miserable. 

To sum up, it is such an in depth, such a rich character study. It is very rare that I have found myself so immersed and so connected to a series of characters before which is a very great achievement. The bleek medieval setting is very clearly and accurately portrayed as well which is something many historical novels fail to do. Unfortunately though, I just found the lack of any exciting, linear plot a very dull, miserable and quite frankly boring read. I really felt like I was just slogging out the pages towards the end just to get it finished. While the quality of the writing was fantastic, I would have sacrificed this for a bit of entertainment. Someone I've been reading a lot of recently is Edward Marston whose writing is very poor quality in all honestly, essentially just writing what in the past would be considered pulp fiction but his novels are at least very exciting and put a smile on your face. This novel was just far too empty and boring and the misery it portrayed just made me miserable as well. 

I can only give it a 5/10. 

[tonyXIII]

Now I've retired completely, I've just begun reading books again.

After a couple of Jack Higgins novellas (<150 pages is not a real book, imo), I've just started "Until Death" by Alex Khan. The copyright notice says 2020, but the following description of a Foreign Secretary is so close the current Home Secretary, that I'm amazed at Khan's foresight.

"The Foreign Secretary, Jane Haslam, was notoriously rude, patronising, borderline racist and constantly in the press for her blunders, yet her closeness to the PM kept her safe from being shifted around. She was being touted as a possible leader of the party, which was more frightening."

Sorry if you think this should be in the Politics thread. I'm only on page 40, but I think I'm going to enjoy this book.

[idrewthehaggis]

On 25/07/2023 at 21:17, OnStrike said:

Yeah agree, lots of great novels by and about Scottish working class life and experience. I picked up a copy of the Grass Arena by David Healy.

A really excellent read. i can see I am going to enjoy this part of the forum,

Now any recommendations? 

My current list of books being read-

1974-David Peace (2nd time)

Knots and Crosses-Ian Rankin

Mayflies-Andrew O'Hagen

Manchester Unspin-Andy Spinoza

The Franco-Prussian War 1970-71-Stephen Bradley

Red Rosa (graphic novel)- Katie Evans

I want to wanna be Yours-John Cooper Clarke

Broken Heartlands-Sebastian Payne

That will do me till Xmas now.

 

 

[Midlands hobo]

Just finished: The last remains, by Elly Griffith's. What looks like the last of the Dr Ruth Galloway series.

Not her best very much a wrapping loose ends of the back stories.

Anyone not aware there are 14 books Ruth is an archaeologist who works in Norfolk and consults with local police on human remains. The stone circle was my favourite.

[tonyXIII]

On 10/11/2023 at 13:45, tonyXIII said:

Now I've retired completely, I've just begun reading books again.

After a couple of Jack Higgins novellas (<150 pages is not a real book, imo), I've just started "Until Death" by Alex Khan. The copyright notice says 2020, but the following description of a Foreign Secretary is so close the current Home Secretary, that I'm amazed at Khan's foresight.

"The Foreign Secretary, Jane Haslam, was notoriously rude, patronising, borderline racist and constantly in the press for her blunders, yet her closeness to the PM kept her safe from being shifted around. She was being touted as a possible leader of the party, which was more frightening."

Sorry if you think this should be in the Politics thread. I'm only on page 40, but I think I'm going to enjoy this book.

Okay, I've finished the book, so here's the review.

A good read, fast-paced and it was difficult to suss the villain until the last 40 pages. Short chapters means there are ample opportunities to break from the story and catch some shut-eye. The lead cop duo are an interesting pair - one slightly older has converted to Islam and needs to unfurl her prayer mat regularly, the other younger one has abandoned her Islamic faith and revels in excessive booze and sex, but there is a deep reason for this. As I said, an interesting pair. My one criticism is the regular introduction of new characters and bizarre ones at that. It made the storyline hard to follow as I was constantly asking myself, "Who is this one?" Apart from that, I enjoyed it. If you like detective thrillers, you'll enjoy it, too.

On to the next book!

[Futtocks]

The Naked Clone: A Nick Nolte Mystery. A parody written in tag-team style by Mikel Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett. Basically they take turns writing a chapter then the next guy has to carry on the story from whatever place the last writer left it.

All I can say is, after laughing like hell, if Nolte, Joe Don Baker and Gary Busey don't sue the authors, it'll be a miracle!

[FileyBulldog]

Just ordered Shutter Island from Waterstones. Without doubt the best Martin Scorsese film ever........IMO.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

1 hour ago, FileyBulldog said:

Just ordered Shutter Island from Waterstones. Without doubt the best Martin Scorsese film ever........IMO.

After Hours is the best Scorsese film ever.......IMO. 

[FileyBulldog]

4 minutes ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

After Hours is the best Scorsese film ever.......IMO. 

Damn man well played, completely forgot he did that one. He also did The King Of Comedy which was ripped off by The Joker.

[LeeF]

On 10/11/2023 at 15:32, idrewthehaggis said:

A really excellent read. i can see I am going to enjoy this part of the forum,

Now any recommendations? 

My current list of books being read-

1974-David Peace (2nd time)

Knots and Crosses-Ian Rankin

Mayflies-Andrew O'Hagen

Manchester Unspin-Andy Spinoza

The Franco-Prussian War 1970-71-Stephen Bradley

Red Rosa (graphic novel)- Katie Evans

I want to wanna be Yours-John Cooper Clarke

Broken Heartlands-Sebastian Payne

That will do me till Xmas now.

 

 

If you enjoy Knots & Crosses then there are just another 23 very readable Rebus novels to follow plus a few short stories. 

[The Hallucinating Goose]

2 hours ago, FileyBulldog said:

Damn man well played, completely forgot he did that one. He also did The King Of Comedy which was ripped off by The Joker.

Another brilliant film and definitely in my top 5 Scorsese films. You may have realised I'm a massive Scorsese fan! 

[FileyBulldog]

9 hours ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

Another brilliant film and definitely in my top 5 Scorsese films. You may have realised I'm a massive Scorsese fan! 

I'm not too fussed over the gangster movies but he is so much more than that which people seem to forget. Love The Big Shave too.