Books - What are you reading?

[RizzoTheRat]

Thanks to a post on the "Interesting Wikipedia Articles" thread the other week



Fascinating biography of Britain's most experienced test pilot. I've only got as far as him dong the fist deck landings of a Mosquito so far but it's riveting.

[TheChampers]

Finished this today, sharp taut writing and plot. Very good.

[DuncanM]

Just finished Desolation Island and am like a crack we, desperate for my next fix.

The Times describes Patrick O'Brian as 'The greatest historical novelist of all time' and they are right!

[chaztheman]

I've just finished reading 1984 by George Orwell. Seriously creepy and disturbing but absolutely fantastically well-written. 10/10

[RDMcG]

Just finished "the Children Act" by Ian McEwan, who in my view is the best English novelist alive today. Brilliant, very dark, superbly written.

[jbudgie]

chaztheman said:

I've just finished reading 1984 by George Orwell. Seriously creepy and disturbing but absolutely fantastically well-written. 10/10

Have never read this , but have got it lined up in the queue for reading soon.

[nicanary]

jbudgie said:

chaztheman said:

I've just finished reading 1984 by George Orwell. Seriously creepy and disturbing but absolutely fantastically well-written. 10/10

Have never read this , but have got it lined up in the queue for reading soon.

GCE O-level set reading in my day. All would-be communists should read it.

[Justin Cyder]

nicanary said:

GCE O-level set reading in my day. All would-be communists should read it.

Animal farm if we're after sticking the wind up yer proto-Marxists too.

[plasticpig]

Justin Cyder said:

Animal farm if we're after sticking the wind up yer proto-Marxists too.

Orwell was a committed socialist who believed the future lay in a socialist federal Europe. Animal farm is an allegorical tale based on the movers and shakers in the formation of Stalinist Russia. It's not anti Marxist but anti totalitarian state.

[downthepub]

RizzoTheRat said:

Thanks to a post on the "Interesting Wikipedia Articles" thread the other week



Fascinating biography of Britain's most experienced test pilot. I've only got as far as him dong the fist deck landings of a Mosquito so far but it's riveting.

The Len Deighton books, both fictional and factual, on the RAF and USAF in WW2 are worth a read. There's a number, Goodbye Mickey Mouse, Fighter and Bomber. I believe with GMM, a US veteran couldn't believe that LD hadn't served with the USAF as his attention to detail to the P51 Mustang was that precise.

[soad]

Picked up The Map and the Territory by Michel Houellebecq. Read Atomised and Platform in the past, so this one can't be bad either.

[droopsnoot]

Just finished "Personal", the new Lee Child book, pretty good but I thought it was a bit hollow compared to some of the others - almost like a short story that had been bulked out with a lot of extra detail to make the page count up. An enjoyable read, don't get me wrong, but just not quite as good as they've been.

[Nom de ploom]

by kindle fire hd got lunched teh other day so I'm back to analogue kindle.

how many times have I already forgotten its not touch screen....

any ways, The Martian has commenced and thoroughly enjoying it so far, I'm up to SOL 25 or thereabouts. I feel like I'm hearing the central character narrating the story to me which is always a good sign I think....

[soad]

soad said:

Picked up The Map and the Territory by Michel Houellebecq. Read Atomised and Platform in the past, so this one can't be bad either.

Read some - didn't like it at all, won't bother finishing it.

[gforceg]

Adventure and Other Papers by Fridtjof Nansen. Fascinating individual.

[soad]

My first Tom Clancy book. I must say, it looks quite formidable.



In the past, have played these series:

[soad]

Laurel Green said:

Well, what did you think of it?

Just joshing! Have it waiting in my 'to read' pile and 'tis a first SL for me.

Have just started--> Stella Rimington's latest, Close Call(another first for me).

White Lies? It was alright, but his last few books didn't quite grab me. Live Fire somehow felt more exciting, maybe it's just me.

[Laurel Green]

soad said:

White Lies? It was alright, but his last few books didn't quite grab me. Live Fire somehow felt more exciting, maybe it's just me.

Yeah, about sums it up for me too. An easy read that one always feels the outcome will be predictable, if that makes sense.

Currently reading-->

[DoctorX]

soad said:

My first Tom Clancy book. I must say, it looks quite formidable.



In the past, have played these series:

Good book that, must read it again sometime.

[LordGrover]

Best of luck. Thanks to recommendations here I downloaded some Clancy novels. Read a quarter of one and gave up, tried another and got no further. Dire, boring, repetitive drivel.
Reacher novels are more imaginative and entertaining.