Books - What are you reading?

Books - What are you reading?

Author
Discussion

brrapp

3,701 posts

161 months

Saturday 9th July 2016
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brrapp said:
coppice said:
vanordinaire said:
Just got this through the post today, I'm desperate to read it as I've enjoyed most of her previous novels, but I bought this one especially to take on holiday next week so I'm trying to resist temptation.

Do report back; I adore Annie P but the reviews of this have been mixed so far. Postcards was especially brilliant I thought.
Well,I'm lying on a beach in Menorca and about a third of the way through it. The description is fantastic, almost poetry, so I'm taking my time and enjoying it. The plot is a series of sub-stories, spread over 300 years so doesn't need to be consumed in one sitting like some of her other books. It has her usual smattering of violent shocks running through it.
Obviously I'm nowhere near finished yet, but my summary so far is that it's an epic in the style of James A Michener, with some plot twists remeniscent of Cormac Mccarthy and descriptive prose as good as William Fiennes. So yes, I'd recommend it.
Forget that last sentence, I finally finished it having lost interest about half way through. Yes the prose was excellent, but the plot was too broken up to follow through the centuries and didn't really come to any sort of conclusion and the huge number of characters just added to the confusion. It was a bit like listening to your grandfather starting to tell a brilliant story, then forgetting what he was talking about and ending up rambling about what he had for lunch today.

davepoth

29,395 posts

198 months

Sunday 10th July 2016
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toasty said:
Tony Angelino said:
In an attempt to broaden my horizons I have gone for a real change and am limping my way into James Joyce Ulysese on audio book, heavy weather at the moment (and I'm only 40 mins in!). Won't be long before I start to think i'm simply not clever enough to enjoy/understand it.
Stick with it. Every chapter is in a different writing style. The morning chapters were more of a struggle than the drunken evening ones.

From chapter 4 onwards the focus moves to Leopold who's a much more interesting character than Stephen.

After each chapter I read up on Wikipedia to ensure I was following the story correctly. I was, just about.
You say that, but the last chapter is 60 pages long with no paragraph breaks. It's a wilfully difficult book to read which took me the best part of 8 months on and off, and all I got of the plot was "Irish men went on a bender". I did enjoy it though; and for my sins, Finnegans Wake is sat in my "to read" pile...

DoctorX

7,240 posts

166 months

Friday 15th July 2016
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DoctorX said:
Spotted this in the latest hardback releases in WH Smith, being marketed as "For fans of I am Pilgrim". Worth a punt at 98p on the Kindle. Anyone read it? Will I get a return on my substantial investment? biglaugh

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nomad-explosive-thriller-...
Enjoyed that. Good for fans of Lee Child/Stephen Leather with a touch of Tom Clancy. Unfortunately the price has gone up to 99p though.

Welshbeef

49,633 posts

197 months

Friday 15th July 2016
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Paddy_N_Murphy said:
Sebring440 said:
Welshbeef said:
Do you think the type of books you read /genre has any link to he kind of car you drive?
Definitely!

I drive a Porsche 944 and I enjoy fantasy!

What about you? silly


You need to read PH'er book about taking a 944 to / through Africa then thumbup
Trust me I've a great story about a 944 a mars bar and eBay.

Patch1875

4,893 posts

131 months

Sunday 17th July 2016
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DoctorX said:
DoctorX said:
Spotted this in the latest hardback releases in WH Smith, being marketed as "For fans of I am Pilgrim". Worth a punt at 98p on the Kindle. Anyone read it? Will I get a return on my substantial investment? biglaugh

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nomad-explosive-thriller-...
Enjoyed that. Good for fans of Lee Child/Stephen Leather with a touch of Tom Clancy. Unfortunately the price has gone up to 99p though.
Downloaded for my hols cheers.

King Herald

23,501 posts

215 months

Sunday 17th July 2016
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I'm 3/4 through Wilbur Smiths latest offering, Golden Lion. It is pitiful, like reading some book aimed at school kids. I have an idea it is not even him writing any more????

I've read every book he ever wrote, and the early ones were incredible, but he has lost direction now.

brrapp

3,701 posts

161 months

Sunday 17th July 2016
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King Herald said:
I'm 3/4 through Wilbur Smiths latest offering, Golden Lion. It is pitiful, like reading some book aimed at school kids. I have an idea it is not even him writing any more????

I've read every book he ever wrote, and the early ones were incredible, but he has lost direction now.
Wow! is he still alive and writing? I was brought up on his books in the sixties. He must be ancient by now.

Laurel Green

30,770 posts

231 months

Sunday 17th July 2016
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brrapp said:
Wow! is he still alive and writing? I was brought up on his books in the sixties. He must be ancient by now.
83 years young according to Wiki.

coppice

8,561 posts

143 months

Sunday 17th July 2016
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Wilbur Smith -I think I grew out of him when I was about 12 - belongs to the dire Alastair MacLean,Hammond Innes and Desmond Bagley school . Strong jawed tough guys doing tough things in tough places. Awful ...

Sebring440

1,926 posts

95 months

Sunday 17th July 2016
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King Herald said:
I'm 3/4 through Wilbur Smiths latest offering, Golden Lion. It is pitiful, like reading some book aimed at school kids. I have an idea it is not even him writing any more????
No, he's turned it into a franchise, like Clive Cussler. Infuriating.

There are so many authors of varying abilities writing the "Clive Cussler" books now. I wish they would just admit that Cussler has nothing to do with it any more and call it the Clive Cussler Universe, or inspired by Clive Cussler, or something similar. But it's a great, money-spinning franchise, so what do I know?


havoc

29,917 posts

234 months

Sunday 17th July 2016
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Out of all of that genre, I found Gerald Seymour the most engaging. Still dip into his stuff on occasion, even if the subject matter is pretty dated in most cases...

Sebring440

1,926 posts

95 months

Sunday 17th July 2016
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havoc said:
Out of all of that genre, I found Gerald Seymour the most engaging. Still dip into his stuff on occasion, even if the subject matter is pretty dated in most cases...
Well, Harry's Game was published in 1975, and covered "subject matter" that was of its time.

As have all further books from the author.

Not sure what your point is?


jimmyjimjim

7,329 posts

237 months

Monday 18th July 2016
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Finally got round to reading Nemesis Games, 5th in 'The Expanse' series. Like it, probably more than most of the others; more straight forward.

RizzoTheRat

25,082 posts

191 months

Monday 18th July 2016
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Realised the other day that I never got round to reading Pratchet's final book, The Shepherds Crown. Think I was waiting for it on paperback and then forgot. Enjoyed it but I don't think it's as good as his earlier stuff, reading the note in the back it sounded like he usually spent a bit more time polishing them once he's finished the main story, but sadly didn't have time on this one frown

In some way quite a fitting end though realised where it was going when Granny started scrubbing the house. Killing off one of the major characters, who then hangs around in everyones memory for so long is kind of a fitting tribute




Sebring440 said:
No, he's turned it into a franchise, like Clive Cussler. Infuriating.

There are so many authors of varying abilities writing the "Clive Cussler" books now. I wish they would just admit that Cussler has nothing to do with it any more and call it the Clive Cussler Universe, or inspired by Clive Cussler, or something similar. But it's a great, money-spinning franchise, so what do I know?
Which thankfully is what has happened with Robert Ludlum, for example the Jason Bourne series has been continued by Eric Van Lustbader, which is a good way to spot ones that aren't worth reading as it seems he's not even bothered reading Ludlums original series.

Halmyre

11,147 posts

138 months

Monday 18th July 2016
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While on holiday I managed to get through Jeremy Clarkson's The Top Gear Years, Lee Child's Echo Burning, Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep, Stuart McGuire's Cold Granite, Ann Cleeves' Blue Lightning, John Grisham's Rogue Lawyer and most of Bill Bryson's Little Dribbling.

It's always interesting to see what books previous guests have left behind at holiday accommodation. This year the oddest item was a biography of Denis Healey.


Patch1875

4,893 posts

131 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
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Just finished 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' thought it was superb.

Now on 'Nomad' as recommended earlier decent so far.

havoc

29,917 posts

234 months

Saturday 23rd July 2016
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Sebring440 said:
havoc said:
Out of all of that genre, I found Gerald Seymour the most engaging. Still dip into his stuff on occasion, even if the subject matter is pretty dated in most cases...
Well, Harry's Game was published in 1975, and covered "subject matter" that was of its time.

As have all further books from the author.

Not sure what your point is?
Pretty dated now I meant - IRA, Iran/Iraq conflict, Soviets in Afghanistan...

The same can be said of most politico-military thrillers to be honest.

droopsnoot

11,806 posts

241 months

Sunday 24th July 2016
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King Herald said:
I'm 3/4 through Wilbur Smiths latest offering, Golden Lion. It is pitiful, like reading some book aimed at school kids. I have an idea it is not even him writing any more????

I've read every book he ever wrote, and the early ones were incredible, but he has lost direction now.
I read that recently, in fact when I first read your post I thought it was mine, until you didn't agree with my opinion of it. I didn't think it was that bad, if you don't like it don't whatever you do read "Those in Peril".

I've read a couple by Luca Veste recently, cop thrillers set in the Liverpool area and pretty good, quite readable, though I shouldn't really have read the second straight after the first. I've also done "Private No1 Suspect" by James Patterson, not bad if you can accept the macho superhero that is the main character. Currently on "The Night Ferry" by Michael Robotham which isn't bad, but not as good as "Say you're sorry" was.

yellowjack

17,065 posts

165 months

Sunday 24th July 2016
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I'm working my way through the Lee Child 'Reacher' stuff (again!) right now.

Prompted in part by the trailer for the new movie, I've re-read 'A Wanted Man', 'Never Go Back', and I'm half way through 'Personal', all in the last week. Some of the chronology is out within the series, so I've not bothered with starting at the beginning. I'll just read 'em all as they seem to work just as well as stand-alone books as they do within the series. The three I'm staring with were just the ones close to hand (because they wouldn't fit into the bookcase when I first finished them).

downthepub

1,373 posts

205 months

Monday 25th July 2016
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Just hacked through Jack Kerouac's On the Road. Guess it was an icon of its time and nothing really like that had gone before, but it's position as a 20th century masterpiece is a little lost on me. Now onto Bonfire of the Vanities, 1/3rd of the way though and loving it!