Book thread: what are you reading?

[Phil]

2 hours ago, Futtocks said:

I think that's the eighth Culture novel (and the Ninth Culture book overall).

My mistake you’re quite right. Good thing is they can be read as stand alone novels 

[LeeF]

On 09/08/2024 at 23:11, The Hallucinating Goose said:

I'm not a big fan of Richard Osman but I'm always seeing things that say his novels are excellent and if this is the case then I'd be up for giving them a go because having read the premise to them they do sound like good, old-fashioned, traditional mystery novels.

So has anyone here read them and what did you think of them?

I’ve read them and they are good, old-fashioned , traditional mystery novels with some gentle humour. Don’t purchase the one due out next month as this is the start of a new series but the previous ones are all the same series

[LeeF]

On 07/06/2024 at 13:12, Futtocks said:

I am currently enjoying The Silver Bone by Andrey Kurkov, a mystery set in Kyiv in the year 1919.

I’ve seen that a couple of times and am tempted. Was it a good read?

[Futtocks]

1 minute ago, LeeF said:

I’ve seen that a couple of times and am tempted. Was it a good read?

I'm a Kurkov fan anyway, but I'd recommend this. I think it's his first attempt at non-contemporary fiction.

I vaguely remember reading somewhere that he was planning more stories based on the main characters and I'd be up for that.

[LeeF]

Just started Union Station by David Downing. The latest book in the John Russell “Station” series. 

[Route66]

The heart in winter by Kevin Barry , excellent novel set in the mining frontier town of Butte in1891, thoroughly enjoyable read

[Futtocks]

This might be of interest to TRLers of a certain age. They seem to be becoming a forgotten youth movement.

https://wegottickets.com/event/631888?s=09 

Edited September 17 by Futtocks

[The Future is League]

Today i have just finished reading The Bullet that missed, by Richard Osman the 3rd book in the Thursday Murder club mystery series. 

I look forward to reading his 4th book called The last Devil to Die, which I don't think is part of the Thursday Murder club mysterey's.

[LeeF]

On 17/09/2024 at 20:00, The Future is League said:

Today i have just finished reading The Bullet that missed, by Richard Osman the 3rd book in the Thursday Murder club mystery series. 

I look forward to reading his 4th book called The last Devil to Die, which I don't think is part of the Thursday Murder club mysterey's.

It is part of the Thursday Murder club series. 

We Solve Murders is his 5th book but the first of a new series. 

[Irish Saint]

Just finished Billy Moore's  "A Prayer Before Dawn" and  "Fighting For My Life" one man's battle to survive prison, addiction and redemption.

Also follow Billy on his "All or Nothing " podcast on You tube. There's an old Hank Williams song A Picture From Life's Other Side" In his videos Billy gives those "Pictures" the chance to tell their story.

[Jeff Stein]

Let's Do It: The Birth of Pop by Bob Stanley. The St Etienne member's sequel/prequel to his history of popular music post Elvis and the rock'n'roll explosion, this book covers popular music from the turn of the 20th century taking in at the beginning sheet music and the beginning of recorded music to rather strangely past the starting point of his other book. Apparently there were areas such as easy listening (kudos for bigging up Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass), 60s balladeers (likes Engelbert Humperdinck; thinks Tom Jones overrated) and musicals (hysterically damning of Lloyd Weber/Rice).

Stanley has a very easy to read writing style and it is in no way an academic tome, rather being packed with anecdotes. I did find at times I struggled to keep interested, but I think that is more because of personal taste. I found the chapters on blues, country and jazz much easier to get through than those on the Great American songbook, 30s and 40s British dance bands and operetta (my abiding dislike for this coming from having to endure the Radio 2 Sunday night showcase when being driven back from from my Grandparents' house in Milton Keynes to Essex in the pre-M25 days - conversely prior to that Alexis Korner's Radio 1 show would be on which possibly helped for guiding me to music I liked).

One thing I would have liked a greater explanation of is Louis Armstrong, who Stanley describes as the most important popular musician, but dies not really explain why. He just jumps from Armstrong's early years to his post-Bond "crooning". the book is also predominantly about Anglo-American music, but that can be no surprise I suppose.

I don't mean the above to be too negative. If you have an interest in music and the roots of popular music, it's definitely worth reading.