Last Book Read

mr_goo

Seeing as some of the forumites fancy themselves as intellects and wordsmiths, I thought that there could be an interest in the written word. Therefore I present to you an opportunity to review the latest or not so as the case may be in the printed word format.

At the moment I am working my way through the Aubrey/Maturin 20 volume compendium by Patrick O'Brien. Starts of with Master & Commander (ignore the film). I'm currently on book 8 'The Ionian Mission'. The books are not easy reading I grant you and the language is of the day, which is the turn of the century 1800s. The research and gathering of historical facts to weave into the novels is excellent. So if you really love the Napoleonic period and love reading about the heyday of the Royal Navy and life on the sea, then there is no better series of books.

Alain Quay

A couple of 2016 releases which I liked and which are both Pulitzer prize winners:

The Sympathizer
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/mar/12/the-sympathizer-viet-thanh-nguyen-review-debut

Barbarian Days
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/14/barbarian-days-surfing-life-william-finnegan-review

Tashman

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28220983-a-boy-made-of-blocks
A Boy Made of Blocks - Keith Stuart
I thought this was excellent. Light hearted but still poignant and a fairly easy read too. Recommended

seanoconn

Kipper and Roly

Kipper wants to choose a pet for Pig’s birthday present. The rabbit is too sleepy, the guinea pigs are too timid, the mouse is too shy, and the stick insect is boring. But the hamster? The hamster is perfect. He can even do roly-polies!

Alain Quay

seanoconn wrote:

Kipper and Roly

Kipper wants to choose a pet for Pig’s birthday present. The rabbit is too sleepy, the guinea pigs are too timid, the mouse is too shy, and the stick insect is boring. But the hamster? The hamster is perfect. He can even do roly-polies!

Is that you Mr Trump?

BelgianBeerGeek

Kingsley Amis - Ending Up
Five old people tied to a house with various infirmities etc. Each has their own way of dealing with it, mainly involving tormenting the others. Darkly funny, and in several places laugh out loud.
Massive fan of K Amis' work, and this is among the best.

eric_draven

Alain Quay wrote:

Barbarian Days
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/14/barbarian-days-surfing-life-william-finnegan-review

Read this whilst on holiday in the alps during summer,I have surfed since my mid teens and still now in my early forties,when i got 2/3 through this i did start to think,I wasted my twenties ,I went travelling twice but this made me think I should of done a lot more,I'm not into surfing waves the size and power this guy did,but by living to chasing your dream is the thing i really connected to

meursault

Alain Quay wrote:

A couple of 2016 releases which I liked and which are both Pulitzer prize winners:

The Sympathizer
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/mar/12/the-sympathizer-viet-thanh-nguyen-review-debut

Barbarian Days
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/14/barbarian-days-surfing-life-william-finnegan-review

Both of these look good to me tyvm.

Just finished



https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40693.The_Last_Opium_Den



https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63032.2666?ac=1&from_search=true

vimfuego

Currently working my way back through the Flashman collection. D'ye see.

Alain Quay

This is his best one I reckon.

priory

https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51kCLfWqV2L._SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_.jpg&f=1

inspiring but not soppy at all
great writing from a dyslexic,I guess someone proof reads his stuff.
This really explores the drive and exitement of bigwall climbing.

pottssteve

vimfuego wrote:

Currently working my way back through the Flashman collection. D'ye see.

Flashman, damn your eyes! Spectacularly good books, and probably best to read them now before they are banned for a whole number of reasons! I have a signed copy of Flashman and the Tiger, which has pride of place on my mantlepiece next to my collection of sabres...

Last book I read was the Course of Love by Alain de Botton:




...and currently enjoying The Racer by D. Millar.

sniper68

I haven't read a book since leaving school in 1984.

FatTed

All the light we cannot see by Anthony Doerr

before that Girl on the Train (not as good as the hype)

currently Palace of Treason the follow up to Red Sparrow

Ben6899

I just finished Wiggins' second autobiography "My Time" and Arthur C Clarke's "Childhood's End". I usually have two on the go at once - a sports autobiography and some fiction.

Currently halfway through Asimov's "Prelude to Foundation" and I need to collect my copy of Walsh's "Seven Deadly Sins" from our LBS (local book shop).

TomBombadil

Just read this: The Cyclist's Tale and other short cycling stories.



It was surprisingly good. Got it off Amazon.

Tom

meursault

Got bored of it by the end, Violent, bloodthirsty Americans killing anything indigenous in their path.

TomBombadil

@ meursault!

Thanks for the heads up!

Tom

thebikeboy16

TomBombadil wrote:

Thanks for the heads up!

Tom

Is that your real name?

finchy

John Wyndham - Trouble With Lichen. Not bad, but nowhere near as good as his real classic works - Triffids, Kraken Wakes and Chrysalids . Before that, Harbour by John Ajvide Lindqvist (of Let The Right One In fame). Brilliant book, can't recommend it highly enough.

Currently working my way through Matter by Iain M Banks. Not quite as good as I was expecting, but still time to pick up.

Next on my list will be The Elephant Keeper's Children by Peter Hoeg, which I hope will be a return to form following the utterly disappointing The Quiet Girl.

Redbaron1

Currently reading hearts of stone by Simon Scarrow. Just finished a series by Andrew Wareham. The Mrs has just got me a load of asteroid books so they are next.

DeVlaeminck

About 2/3rds of the way through East of Eden - if you like Steinbeck or even if you are a big reader I guess you'll already have read it - if you haven't then at the risk of coming over as a philistine I'm finding it a bit like I did the Grapes of Wrath - love the way he writes but does he have to drag out it quite that much.

secretsam

Has anyone read "The Loney" by Andrew Michael Hurley? I bought this on a whim and haven't read it yet

Am currently re-reading the Hunger Games trilogy, which I found surprisingly enjoyable

Before that was "Sink the Bismarck"!!!!

seanoconn

Postman Pat and the hole in the road.

Mr Pringle has been teaching the children about volcanoes and earthquakes. The next day this makes Pat think about the holes in the road. While on his rounds, he gets diverted round in a big circle. P.C. Selby lets all traffic pass through Thompson Ground and Ted gets ready to mend the hole with tar.

tenohfive

Just finished David Millar's book The Racer. Enjoyed it, whilst the writing style is typical autobiographical fare - illustrate a recent tale i.e. the end of his pro-cycling career by flitting back telling older stories along the way - it was done well and he comes across as very honest. Not in the doping sense (Racing in the Dark I suspect will be more of that) - honest about his strengths (it'd seem arrogant if he couldn't back it up with facts) and weaknesses, and a bit more of an insight into peloton life than other's accounts. Very easy to read.

FocusZing

...

mac9091

Book 3 of 4.

Different take on the usual Robin Hood stories in that these books are set a couple of hundred years earlier and in a different county, cracking read and very entertaining. I don't read much other than when i'm away with work and normally read Simon Scarrow's Cato and Marco series (still have Britannia to read)

ballysmate

seanoconn wrote:

Postman Pat and the hole in the road.

Mr Pringle has been teaching the children about volcanoes and earthquakes. The next day this makes Pat think about the holes in the road. While on his rounds, he gets diverted round in a big circle. P.C. Selby lets all traffic pass through Thompson Ground and Ted gets ready to mend the hole with tar.

Thanks a lot!!
Spoilt the ending for me now.

Huismans

It was a short story compilation of Steven King's horror stories. Perfect for the October Months! Forgot the name of it as Ic can't find it right now, but it was a compilation of a lot of his older ones from the 80's to early 90's, rather than a lot of his newer ones.

One I was thinking of picking up next was a Clive Barker book of short stories to read. I'm a fan of horror stories if they're really not that long. The shorter, and scarier, the better. Is why I like creepy pasta's so much.

meursault

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75400.Slow_Man

Meditation on ageing, relationships as an immigrant in Australia. Enjoyed it.

evil_breakfast

Used to play D&D as a kid, so it was a fairly interesting read. Saw it the library when I was looking for something else!!