Books - What are you reading?
Discussion
Recently finished :
"Lessons" by Ian McEwan - I've never really got on with his books in the past but this was really good. A full life story about a man whose path is anchored on an affair he had with a teacher when he was a young boy. It's a story of missed opportunities, frustrations, love, anger and acceptance woven around some key historical events (Cuban Missile Crisis, Berlin Wall, Chernobyl, Covid etc...). Well worth a read - 5/5.
"The Bookseller of Inverness" by S.G Maclean - a historical mystery / murder novel set in post Culloden Inverness with added Jacobean and Hanoverian tensions thrown in for good measure. A decent enough enough read but if it wasn't for the historical setting it would be pretty average. 3/5
"Lessons" by Ian McEwan - I've never really got on with his books in the past but this was really good. A full life story about a man whose path is anchored on an affair he had with a teacher when he was a young boy. It's a story of missed opportunities, frustrations, love, anger and acceptance woven around some key historical events (Cuban Missile Crisis, Berlin Wall, Chernobyl, Covid etc...). Well worth a read - 5/5.
"The Bookseller of Inverness" by S.G Maclean - a historical mystery / murder novel set in post Culloden Inverness with added Jacobean and Hanoverian tensions thrown in for good measure. A decent enough enough read but if it wasn't for the historical setting it would be pretty average. 3/5
I've just finished "Skinny Dip" by Carl Hiaasen. A wealthy woman is thrown off a cruise liner by her husband, but survives and resolves to make his life a misery. A decent story, entertaining and funny in parts. I'd gone off him a while back when another of his books (that I've forgotten) seemed to just go on and on, but this was very good.
Any Lawrence Block fans?
I read and really enjoyed the Matthew Scudder series some time ago but hadn't read anything else.
So I decided to try the Bernie Rhodenbarr books.
Bit of a bargain on Amazon Kindle.
There are two volumes containing the first 10 books - £1.99 Vol 1 and £3.99 Vol 2.
Some of the plots can be a bit samey and some slightly thin (compared to the Matt Scudder books) but great dialogue, much more light and funny than Scudder and only £6 for almost 2000 pages of it.
I read and really enjoyed the Matthew Scudder series some time ago but hadn't read anything else.
So I decided to try the Bernie Rhodenbarr books.
Bit of a bargain on Amazon Kindle.
There are two volumes containing the first 10 books - £1.99 Vol 1 and £3.99 Vol 2.
Some of the plots can be a bit samey and some slightly thin (compared to the Matt Scudder books) but great dialogue, much more light and funny than Scudder and only £6 for almost 2000 pages of it.
)
Just Finished "Slow Horses" by Mick Herron.
Thanks to those who recommended it on here.
One of those books I struggled to put down, it just drew you into the story - excellent.
Only criticism, each chapter contained multiple scenarios, separated only by a small space in the text. I'd be reading about Rivers and suddenly puzzled as the next lines were maybe Curly or Ho.
Recommended, now looking for the next one.
Thanks to those who recommended it on here.
One of those books I struggled to put down, it just drew you into the story - excellent.
Only criticism, each chapter contained multiple scenarios, separated only by a small space in the text. I'd be reading about Rivers and suddenly puzzled as the next lines were maybe Curly or Ho.
Recommended, now looking for the next one.
i4got said:
droopsnoot said:
Yes. I hadn't realised there were so many Bernie Rhodenbarr books, I'll have to look out for some more. I think I prefer them to Matt Scudder.
The Keller books are good, too.
I'll check out the Keller books after I'm finished with Bernie.The Keller books are good, too.
Big fan of Lawrence Block. All three series are very good
I've just finished "Missing Pieces" by Tim Weaver. Not one of his series featuring investigator David Raker, this one has a woman stranded on abandoned island over winter after someone tries to kill her. First she has to learn how to survive over winter, then try to work out why someone wanted her dead. A decent read, I'm not usually a fan of books that jump forwards and backwards, but I enjoyed this. Another bonus is that the cover reveals there are two or three of his other novels that I haven't read yet.
Scabutz said:
tertius said:
Scabutz said:
Ages ago I bought a complete set of Dickens in matching paperbacks. Thought it would look good on the bookcase.
Never read any, except a Christmas Carol.
Want to start, any advise where? Just read them in order or pick some good ones? Which ones are recommended?
Most people start with either Great Expectations or David Copperfield, though I find GE pretty disappointing. Never read any, except a Christmas Carol.
Want to start, any advise where? Just read them in order or pick some good ones? Which ones are recommended?
For me there are a few that really stand out:
A Tale of Two Cities
Our Mutual Friend
Bleak House
And a few that were really tedious:
Nicholas Nickleby
Barnaby Rudge
Martin Chuzzlewit
I’d suggest starting with A Tale of Two Cities - a shorter novel (in Dickens terms of course) and in my opinion a terrific story.
There is a noticeable difference between the earlier and later novels … a friend of mine (himself an author and lecturer) put it as “the later books are better novels, but not better Dickens”.
However, my stand out favourite of them all is Bleak House.
Edited by lornemalvo on Wednesday 28th December 22:03
Secret war by RV Jones, fascinating book, history of radar etc during WW2. had to leave it as my wrists are sore holding the book up, it is a weighty tomb especially if you have been using a kindle for the last ten years! If I place it on my knees I cannot read it with my specs on, doh.
I've just finished "Taken for dead" by Graham Masterton. Local small business owners are being kidnapped and held for ransom by an organisation with links to Irish history, and the police need to find out who's doing it while trying to find out who is leaking information from the station. A decent story, but there are a few irritating things, such as repeatedly using each police officer's full rank and name, and some confusion with ransom amounts. I'd read more from this author, though.
Mercdriver said:
Secret war by RV Jones, fascinating book, history of radar etc during WW2. had to leave it as my wrists are sore holding the book up, it is a weighty tomb especially if you have been using a kindle for the last ten years! If I place it on my knees I cannot read it with my specs on, doh.
.It's an excellent book that. I always enjoy the Battle of the beams and trying to make deductions based on the German codenames eg 'Wotan'.
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