Books - What are you reading?

[wombleh]

toasty said:

Still Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

I've been listening to it on Audible almost every work day since August and I'm still only 2/3 of the way through. It's good but does drag on a bit.

I quite enjoyed reading that but there are a few huge self indulgent speeches given by the main characters that I skipped reading. Would be annoying on audio book as they must last for hours!

Just about to finish off Terror by Dan Simmons having read his Ilium and Hyperion series. It's based around Franklin's expedition to find the Northwest passage across the Arctic and finding it hard to put down, one of those stories where I spend half the time off on Wikipedia looking up various things it mentions.

[havoc]

wombleh said:

Just about to finish off Terror by Dan Simmons having read his Ilium and Hyperion series. It's based around Franklin's expedition to find the Northwest passage across the Arctic and finding it hard to put down, one of those stories where I spend half the time off on Wikipedia looking up various things it mentions.

Not sure there's anything by DS I've not liked.

...but interestingly you've not mentioned Hyperion, which is perhaps his best novel...definitely worth checking out.

[cranford10]

I can recommend the 'Victor the Assassin' books by Tom Wood. There are 5 in total so far I think and are of the Jack Reacher mode but written better IMHO

[jbudgie]

cranford10 said:

I can recommend the 'Victor the Assassin' books by Tom Wood. There are 5 in total so far I think and are of the Jack Reacher mode but written better IMHO

Yes, enjoyed them.

[wombleh]

havoc said:

Not sure there's anything by DS I've not liked.

...but interestingly you've not mentioned Hyperion, which is perhaps his best novel...definitely worth checking out.

I did, honest!

An author I've only recently found but definitely enjoying his work.

Am now being even more geeky by reading all the references that DS provided in the back of Terror such as the Scott Polar Research Institute website.

[anonymous-user]

Currently reading 'Suez' by Keith Kyle about the 1956 crisis.

An event I knew very little about, but so far it's proving fascinating and very readable.

[King Herald]

Strange, but I retired nearly two months ago, and I haven't read more than ten pages of a book since then.

When I was offshore I'd get through at last one book, sometimes two, every week.

[Digger]

King Herald said:

Strange, but I retired nearly two months ago, and I haven't read more than ten pages of a book since then.

When I was offshore I'd get through at last one book, sometimes two, every week.

There's a void in your life now.

aka . . . sort out the hot rod !

[lowdrag]

Just finished - with a lot of speed reading and paragraph skipping, what must me about the worst modern novel in years. "Woman of the Dead" by Bernhard Aichner. Think of Woman with the Dragon Tattoo and then rewrite it to the lowest ever level you can think of, then halve that. The translation is shocking, like "his life is in her heads" the plot laughable, being a woman who drowns her parents by pulling up the ladder on their yacht, then she marries her rescuer, a police detective who is then killed, then she seeks out his killers and murders them in turn. Oh, she's a funeral director, so cuts up the bodies and adds parts to each proper coffin. Then at the end she goes to the crematorium with the fifth and last murderer and puts burns him alive.

Ye Gods, that we have to still suffer dross like this, which proudly proclaims "The unstoppable German thriller sweeping Europe".

[BS30]

Shutter Island.

I normally enjoy the books of films more than the films themselves but finding this strangely hard going. Just not gipping me like the film did.

Having said that, most other examples, I've read the book long before the film whereas this is the other way round.

[havoc]

lowdrag said:

Ye Gods, that we have to still suffer dross like this, which proudly proclaims "The unstoppable German thriller sweeping Europe".

Marketing should be a crime...simple as that.

I bought some US-market schlock-fantasy/sci-fi ("Not on the List") - it was being plugged on FB (should have been a warning sign) but got good reviews on Amazon, and it sounded interesting. Christ I nearly burned the damn thing after ~30-40 pages. Finished it just to see what happened, but it's going in the next charity-shop bag...mediocre, derivative, cliche'd drivel...

[Bungleaio]

cranford10 said:

I can recommend the 'Victor the Assassin' books by Tom Wood. There are 5 in total so far I think and are of the Jack Reacher mode but written better IMHO

I've not read a book for a couple of years but I'm thinking of getting one done over the christmas break. Based on your recommendation I think this will be the one, cheers mate.

[Muskythedog]

shirt said:

g3org3y said:

Chris Type R said:

Have you started the Irvin Welsh yet ? Interested to know if that's worth a read - haven't read any of his books in ages.

I'm about 150 pages in. It's quite different to the majority of his other works as it is set in Miami with a female protagonist. It has held my attention so far but nothing near Trainspotting. Personally I prefer his Scottish based gritty drug stories. I'm more looking forward to reading his most recent book 'A Decent Ride'.

Edited by g3org3y on Sunday 29th November 07:50

'crime' is set in miami as well. sequel to filth, although really the only connection between the two is the main character ray lennox. great book and one of welsh's best Imo.

have read all welsh's books apart from the last two which are on my 'to buy' list. for the caual fan i'd recommend glue, crime, or one of his short story collections.



as for me, currently reading the revenant which is far better than i thought it would be. started 'stoner' by john williams which is supposedly a classic and on several top 100 lists. by christ it is dull. will finish it but can't say its been enjoyable. on the pile are beckett's 'murphy', huxley's 'brave new world' and perfume - a story of a murderer.

Just finished it today, decent enough without reaching Skag Boys, Trainspotting (or even Porno) levels. Probably on a par with A Decent Ride, although Juice Terry was a better character for me in that. Got while the 13th until my next Audible token is available, so might have to go for something i've already got downloaded - maybe a change with a Billy Bryson or maybe The Great Gatsby.

[tertius]

shirt said:

as for me, currently reading the revenant which is far better than i thought it would be. started 'stoner' by john williams which is supposedly a classic and on several top 100 lists. by christ it is dull. will finish it but can't say its been enjoyable. on the pile are beckett's 'murphy', huxley's 'brave new world' and perfume - a story of a murderer.

Perfume is very good, and rather strange, well worth reading.

[g3org3y]

Muskythedog said:

shirt said:

g3org3y said:

Chris Type R said:

Have you started the Irvin Welsh yet ? Interested to know if that's worth a read - haven't read any of his books in ages.

I'm about 150 pages in. It's quite different to the majority of his other works as it is set in Miami with a female protagonist. It has held my attention so far but nothing near Trainspotting. Personally I prefer his Scottish based gritty drug stories. I'm more looking forward to reading his most recent book 'A Decent Ride'.

Edited by g3org3y on Sunday 29th November 07:50

'crime' is set in miami as well. sequel to filth, although really the only connection between the two is the main character ray lennox. great book and one of welsh's best Imo.

have read all welsh's books apart from the last two which are on my 'to buy' list. for the caual fan i'd recommend glue, crime, or one of his short story collections.



as for me, currently reading the revenant which is far better than i thought it would be. started 'stoner' by john williams which is supposedly a classic and on several top 100 lists. by christ it is dull. will finish it but can't say its been enjoyable. on the pile are beckett's 'murphy', huxley's 'brave new world' and perfume - a story of a murderer.

Just finished it today, decent enough without reaching Skag Boys, Trainspotting (or even Porno) levels. Probably on a par with A Decent Ride, although Juice Terry was a better character for me in that. Got while the 13th until my next Audible token is available, so might have to go for something i've already got downloaded - maybe a change with a Billy Bryson or maybe The Great Gatsby.

Started Crime. I think it's the only Irvine Welsh book I've yet to read. Seems a much more 'mature' book than most of his others. Only about 50 pages in, will be interesting to see how it pans out.



I finished 'Hard Time' by Shaun Attwood last week. First hand account of his time in a jail in Arizona. 4.5/5 on Amazon so had high hopes. Was unfortunately a little disappointed. Good insight but lacked any decent depth. 3/5 more realistically imo.

[CR6ZZ]

Just finished "Seveneves"by Neal Stephenson. I wanted to like it as it had real potential, but IMO it just ended up being far too wordy and didn't go anywhere particularly interesting. The reader doesn't need to know in detail the back story of every single character or the intricacies of how every single piece of technology works. At almost 1000 pages it is simply too long to retain interest. The whole idea condensed down to 500 pages might have been OK. 4.5/10.

[Nom de ploom]

just finished HMS Surprise by Patrick O'Brian.

best of the three so far I think in order but all good reads. I'm starting to get the hang of some of the nautical terms - is there a glossary anywhere? so that I know what he's doing when he Belays to leeward or whatever....??

now...do I start no. four or do I switch...

[leedogg3]

cranford10 said:

I can recommend the 'Victor the Assassin' books by Tom Wood. There are 5 in total so far I think and are of the Jack Reacher mode but written better IMHO

Thanks for recommendation. Just finished first one and have now ordered second.

[Janluke]

"The Man in the High Castle" Philip K Dick. 60s scifi classic although not your typical scifi. An alternative history with Germany and Japan winning WW2. If its sounding familiar Amazon have just released a 10 part series based on the story.

[Nom de ploom]

i've gone with The Ocean at the End of the Lane by nial Gaiman - pretty inauspicious start but was recomended on here....

Jack aubrey will have to wait!