Books - What are you reading?
Discussion
For any Jason Matthews fans, The Kremlin's Candidate should be out this month.
http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Kremlins...
http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Kremlins...
marcosgt said:
"The Blooding of the Guns" - Alexander Fullerton - WW1 Naval novel based around the Battle of Jutland - The action seems pretty well written, but I'm not sure I'll rush to read another of his.
I love that book, it's extremely accurate in its description of the fighting, allowing of course for the fact that he created three fictional ships for his characters.If you do try another then I would recommend Sixty Minutes for St George about the Zeebrugge raid.
Meditations, Marcus Aurelius.
I think Marcus was often unhappy if not depressed. Certainly over-educated. His "wisdom" is cheerless, morbid, and repetitive as if attempting to convince himself. There are a couple of nice simple ones, but jeez!
"If it's not right, don't do it. If it's not true, don't say it" is one of the better ones.
I think Marcus was often unhappy if not depressed. Certainly over-educated. His "wisdom" is cheerless, morbid, and repetitive as if attempting to convince himself. There are a couple of nice simple ones, but jeez!
"If it's not right, don't do it. If it's not true, don't say it" is one of the better ones.
Finished 'The Heart is a Lonely Hunter' by Carson McCullers last night, having picked it up based only on a faulty memory: I thought it shared its name with a song by Ultravox, instead titled 'The Lonely Hunter'. Suffice it to say, there is no overlap between the two. Not my favourite book that I've read but on two counts it has substantial merit: the views and ideas McCullers puts forward throughout are surprisingly progressive for a book written in 1940 and it was published when she was just twenty-three.
Twenty-three and a published author. That's genuinely impressive to me, having never gotten beyond the idea phase of stories I'd like to try and tell. McCullers was a year older than I am, and she was published. I've got to respect that, as well as what seemed to be a very nuanced way of looking at the world.
On now to a book I suspect a few of you will have already read: Notes from Underground, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I have Canongate's version of Natasha Randall's translation in front of me, having had no other versions available and no prior knowledge of any 'best' translation. If it is as deep as many seem to suggest I'll have to do some background reading when I'm done with the actual text.
Twenty-three and a published author. That's genuinely impressive to me, having never gotten beyond the idea phase of stories I'd like to try and tell. McCullers was a year older than I am, and she was published. I've got to respect that, as well as what seemed to be a very nuanced way of looking at the world.
On now to a book I suspect a few of you will have already read: Notes from Underground, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I have Canongate's version of Natasha Randall's translation in front of me, having had no other versions available and no prior knowledge of any 'best' translation. If it is as deep as many seem to suggest I'll have to do some background reading when I'm done with the actual text.
Jeffrey Bernard's Reach For The Ground, a compilation of some of his columns. It is a fascinating read, a man unapologetic for his alcoholism and associated predicaments, but brilliantly able to turn both a beautiful phrase and cast an acerbic, waspish eye on his surroundings. I shall be buying more.
K12beano said:
This week I have been hooked - start to finish - on Kazuo Ishiguro: Remains of the Day a stunningly simple piece of prose, beautifully paced to unwind a retrospective, and ultimately moving, story of one man’s perspective on his world as a butler. Spiffing.
I just read his 'The Buried Giant', picked it up as a light read yesterday evening and finished it just in time for work this morning. Wasn't at all what I was expecting but it was one of these books you can't put down .
Almost like Homer in style, lots of symbolism, some of which has been rumbling through my head all day, trying to sort itself out. As you say, some beautiful writing which will probably haunt my consciousness for a while yet. Quick to consume, but will take a while to fully digest.
lowdrag said:
I've always enjoyed the Linwood Barclay books - until now. I have just finished "Broken Promises" only to find that if I want to find out what happened I will have to buy the next book called "23". Mr Barclay, you have just lost a reader.
It’s a trilogy - luckily I bought them after all 3 had been released so could carry on. Was it worth it - yes. For me his books are a little similar, I remember his first no time for goodbye which was a great read.
Go on finish the other 2 off you’ll not be disappointed - a pity they literally stopped imagine waiting a year to carry on “mid flow “ so to speak.
droopsnoot said:
Yes, that's certainly true, in a similar way to Simon Kernick stuff always features a race against time of one form or another, and at the other end of the scale, Colin Forbes books always contain a mad dash across Europe.
Tim Weaver, Jo Nesbo, Mo Hayder to name just 3 all books have no similarity at all which I enjoy. Just finished William Boyd's "An Ice Cream War".. not my favourite of his but very enjoyable nevertheless. A WWI story set in Africa, which is a part of the Great War I knew nothing about.
Now reading "Paul & Me", a memoir of Paul Newman from one of his closest friends. On offer on Kindle at the moment and good so far.
Now reading "Paul & Me", a memoir of Paul Newman from one of his closest friends. On offer on Kindle at the moment and good so far.
I finished ‘American Gods’ by Neil Gaiman a few days ago, with it my first foray into Gaiman’s works. The version I have ties in with the Amazon Video adaptation, so includes the longer text Gaiman preferred as well as the novella ‘Monarch of the Glen’.
I haven’t read the novella yet but I suspect I will when I’ve exhausted the list of books I have in front of me. The foreword describes it as the result of Gaiman’s desire to write a long, meandering novel, and it certainly is both of those things. I was satisfied enough that I’d like to read his ‘Norse Mythology’ as well; it’s a topic I’ve spent a while reading about on Wikipedia.
Since yesterday evening I stormed through ‘To Kill the President’, by Sam Bourne (a pen-name of Jonathan Freedland). It’s a serviceable way to spend a few hours in a waiting room or airport but is not at all subtle. Literal ‘deportation forces’ are mentioned deporting non-Mexican Latinos to Mexico, the line ‘I cannot believe you work for that evil man’ is repeated throughout, and El Presidente sexually assaults his way through the White House after ordering an immediate nuclear strike on North Korea and China, setting the novel’s plot in motion.
I paid £1 in a charity shop, and will probably be donating it again tomorrow so the ownership cycle may continue. I do wonder if the next person to take ownership will understand a character's wanting to "do it for the lulz" when suggesting badges akin to yellow stars, or what "memes" are. I already suspect the word 'genderfluid' will wash right over them, and I know the (((echoes))) will.
I'm not sure what my next read will be, having bought a handful of books today with no deadline for when they must be returned.
I haven’t read the novella yet but I suspect I will when I’ve exhausted the list of books I have in front of me. The foreword describes it as the result of Gaiman’s desire to write a long, meandering novel, and it certainly is both of those things. I was satisfied enough that I’d like to read his ‘Norse Mythology’ as well; it’s a topic I’ve spent a while reading about on Wikipedia.
Since yesterday evening I stormed through ‘To Kill the President’, by Sam Bourne (a pen-name of Jonathan Freedland). It’s a serviceable way to spend a few hours in a waiting room or airport but is not at all subtle. Literal ‘deportation forces’ are mentioned deporting non-Mexican Latinos to Mexico, the line ‘I cannot believe you work for that evil man’ is repeated throughout, and El Presidente sexually assaults his way through the White House after ordering an immediate nuclear strike on North Korea and China, setting the novel’s plot in motion.
I paid £1 in a charity shop, and will probably be donating it again tomorrow so the ownership cycle may continue. I do wonder if the next person to take ownership will understand a character's wanting to "do it for the lulz" when suggesting badges akin to yellow stars, or what "memes" are. I already suspect the word 'genderfluid' will wash right over them, and I know the (((echoes))) will.
I'm not sure what my next read will be, having bought a handful of books today with no deadline for when they must be returned.
Edited by Levin on Tuesday 20th February 20:29
Levin said:
On now to a book I suspect a few of you will have already read: Notes from Underground, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I have Canongate's version of Natasha Randall's translation in front of me, having had no other versions available and no prior knowledge of any 'best' translation. If it is as deep as many seem to suggest I'll have to do some background reading when I'm done with the actual text.
Hah! You've caught me on that one.I had been searching for a hardback Garnet translation of this (most are 'print on demand' and often don't list the translator).
You've reminded me that I needed this, so I've expanded my search parameters and located one.
Thanks for the reminder
I'm not familiar with Randall's work, but I have always found the Garnet translations to be in a style most consistent with the times in which they were written. No doubt because it would have seemed more natural to her than for someone translating the work 50 years later on.
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