Books - What are you reading?

[thismonkeyhere]

'Cheating Death: Combat Air Rescues in Vietnam and Laos' by George J Marrett.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cheating-Death-Combat-Resc...

Stumbled across it in a model shop, randomly. It's bloody good.

[havoc]

Just finished this...been a while since I've read many 'thrillers', but this is very good.

[DoctorX]

havoc said:

Just finished this...been a while since I've read many 'thrillers', but this is very good.

Sequel out next month, can't wait.

[5potTurbo]

Nothing at the moment, as I left my Kindle on a plane recently. *sobs*

[Digga]

Nearly finished Pure, by Andrew Miller. Only started it weekend before last, reading odd evenings before going to sleep, and have ripped through it - 50 pages in one bedtime read is something of a record for me - so I can quite honestly say it really is a page turner.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure_%28Miller_novel...

[Patch1875]

DoctorX said:

havoc said:

Just finished this...been a while since I've read many 'thrillers', but this is very good.

Sequel out next month, can't wait.

Great didn't know that!

[jbudgie]

DoctorX said:

havoc said:

Just finished this...been a while since I've read many 'thrillers', but this is very good.

Sequel out next month, can't wait.

What's the title of the sequel ?

[Justayellowbadge]

5potTurbo said:

Nothing at the moment, as I left my Kindle on a plane recently. *sobs*

Was your content legit?

If so, just download the app to phone, tablet or pc and all your books will resynch.

[DoctorX]

jbudgie said:

DoctorX said:

havoc said:

Just finished this...been a while since I've read many 'thrillers', but this is very good.

Sequel out next month, can't wait.

What's the title of the sequel ?

Ah bugger, just noticed the year!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Year-Locust-Terry-Hayes/dp...

[King Herald]

DoctorX said:

Finally got round to reading Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Gutted I've finished it, what a great book.

Arguably the best book I have ever read.

The sequel is a huge tome, but I simply could not get to grips with it, far too much detail and tedium.

I recently read his 'Century' trilogy, which is a massive read, drawn out in places, but excellent, factual history put into a huge novel. I'd like my 14 year old daughter to read it, but it gets a little too, er, risqué in places.....

http://ken-follett.com/bibliography/fall_of_giants...

[DoctorX]

King Herald said:

Arguably the best book I have ever read.

The sequel is a huge tome, but I simply could not get to grips with it, far too much detail and tedium.

I recently read his 'Century' trilogy, which is a massive read, drawn out in places, but excellent, factual history put into a huge novel. I'd like my 14 year old daughter to read it, but it gets a little too, er, risqué in places.....

http://ken-follett.com/bibliography/fall_of_giants...

Agreed, I thought that trilogy was great too. Good story and I learnt a lot about 20th century history.

[droopsnoot]

I enjoyed his "On wings of eagles", based on the situation of some EDS executives who were caught up in the Iranian revolution.

[jbudgie]

DoctorX said:

jbudgie said:

DoctorX said:

havoc said:

Just finished this...been a while since I've read many 'thrillers', but this is very good.

Sequel out next month, can't wait.

What's the title of the sequel ?

Ah bugger, just noticed the year!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Year-Locust-Terry-Hayes/dp...

Don't think it will be classed as a sequel either.

[DoctorX]

Hmmm. You might be right. Ah well looking forward to it anyway!

[BRISTOL86]

Hi Guys

Can you recommend authors similar in genre and style to Bill Bryson (the travel stuff rather than the sciencey stuff)

I really like the blend he gets of informative enough to be interesting from a learning point of view but humorous enough to keep it light and easy going...especially his earlier stuff on the Americas and Europe.

Cheers!

[lowdrag]

You know you are in trouble when you start skipping paragraphs not long after you start the book. It get's boring and you move on impatiently, then feel guilty and back-check to see if you've missed anything important. In this case it would be difficult since although the plot is pretty good, I find the writing somewhat turgid. It's The Killing Lessons by Saul Black. I'll plod on, but it takes dedication.

Recently I've read The Skeleton Road by Val McDermid which was OK but I thought the end rather light, and also Flash & Bones by Kathy Reichs. Not bad, because motor racing has been my life, and I always find her better than Patricia Cornwell.

[DickyC]

A Spy Among Friends: Philby and the Great Betrayal by Ben Macintyre.

Brilliant. It's about a different world, a world in which an Englishman could be taken at his word even when all the evidence pointed the other way.

Ben Macintyre's other books include the spellbinding Agent Zigzag about World War II spy, Eddie Chapman.

[FiF]

DoctorX said:

Coffin Road by Peter May. Enjoyed his Hebridean trilogy and this new one set in the same location is a good read so far.

Do like Peter May's works. Have been waiting for the last in his Enzo files, seems like ages that it's "been in the pipeline."

[jbudgie]

BRISTOL86 said:

Hi Guys

Can you recommend authors similar in genre and style to Bill Bryson (the travel stuff rather than the sciencey stuff)

I really like the blend he gets of informative enough to be interesting from a learning point of view but humorous enough to keep it light and easy going...especially his earlier stuff on the Americas and Europe.

Cheers!

It's worth going into your public library and looking in the travel section.

Have found plenty of great books there.

[coppice]

If you would like to read top quality travel writing I can hugely recommend Old Glory and Passage to Juneau by Jonathan Raban. The former is about taking a small boat down the Mississippi and the latter about taking a larger boat from Seattle to Alaska. Not easy going Bryson stuff(entertaining though BB can be )but nakedly personal , highly literate and with penetrating insight into American history , recent and distant . Without doubt the UK's finest living travel writer. Just reread Old Glory after 30 years and it is even better than I recalled.

Highly recommended is also Redmond O'Hanlon whose Into the Heart of Borneo is wonderful reading; ROH is an English eccentric, naturalist and writer whose account is shocking , achingly funny and unputdownable.