Books - What are you reading?
Discussion
lowdrag said:
Do you get into a book, find you dislike it but grind away to the end?
I'm currently battling my way through "Battle Sight Zero" by Gerald Seymour, which is so differently written to any of his previous books that I'm wondering whether he's subcontracted it. I'm determined not to give up as I'm probably 75% through now.Nearly finished John le Carré: The Biography by Adam Sisman.
Mrs Y bought it as gift for me, which was a leap of faith considering she knows I have never read a le Carré novel (I'm embarrassed to admit). I'll have to fix that now. Interestingly he'd proposed the title of his latest book "Agent Running in the Field" for several previous novels, now well known under different titles.
Mrs Y bought it as gift for me, which was a leap of faith considering she knows I have never read a le Carré novel (I'm embarrassed to admit). I'll have to fix that now. Interestingly he'd proposed the title of his latest book "Agent Running in the Field" for several previous novels, now well known under different titles.
droopsnoot said:
I'm currently battling my way through "Battle Sight Zero" by Gerald Seymour, which is so differently written to any of his previous books that I'm wondering whether he's subcontracted it. I'm determined not to give up as I'm probably 75% through now.
I have really enjoyed some of Seymour's books, and have found some of the history/situations fascinating. They can be fairly formulaic, though. MC Bodge said:
I have really enjoyed some of Seymour's books, and have found some of the history/situations fascinating. They can be fairly formulaic, though.
It's not that so much as the style of writing, sentences and paragraphs are very "wordy". I found a similar thing in the latest Lee Child / Reacher novel, but not to such an extent. I read a fairly recent one and it was much easier to read than this one is turning out to be.peterperkins said:
Stan the Bat said:
In a related way, I am reading this at the moment.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50062769-under...
Interesting but lightweights, 1000ft or so maybe 1500ft depth max.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50062769-under...
Trieste went down to 35,797ft and more importantly came back up again vessel and crew intact.
William Gibson's latest, Agency.
This has the feel of a series of concepts delivered to a publisher's contractual obligation. And indeed a bit of research suggests that it was handed in at least a year late, so maybe he's got something going on in his life which is taking all his attention.
It's the usual set-up: a recognisable near future with a bit of a sci-fi tweak to support the central plot. But it's not sci-fi, and in fact could have been structured without much effort to remove that component completely. The sci-fi piece could make an interesting separate book, nothing to do with this one.
There are a few flashes of the Gibson brilliance, where he runs with a current trend and shows you its conclusion, and you say 'yes, of course that's how it will go, that's so obvious, why didn't I see that'. But there's not enough of that, and rather too much implausible action and outline characterisations.
We're in a brand new setting here, there's no Blue Ant or Bridge or even a nod to them, so we're meeting all new characters. And there's a lot of slight variations in recent events described, and claims that the changes are really significant, but that's never properly explored.
The central plot is not new. It's been done several times now and Gibson doesn't really bring anything to it. And some of the writing is a bit clunky, feels like it didn't get enough time with an editor.
Worth buying? Well, to me any Gibson is better than no Gibson, but this is some way from his best and not one to rush out and read.
This has the feel of a series of concepts delivered to a publisher's contractual obligation. And indeed a bit of research suggests that it was handed in at least a year late, so maybe he's got something going on in his life which is taking all his attention.
It's the usual set-up: a recognisable near future with a bit of a sci-fi tweak to support the central plot. But it's not sci-fi, and in fact could have been structured without much effort to remove that component completely. The sci-fi piece could make an interesting separate book, nothing to do with this one.
There are a few flashes of the Gibson brilliance, where he runs with a current trend and shows you its conclusion, and you say 'yes, of course that's how it will go, that's so obvious, why didn't I see that'. But there's not enough of that, and rather too much implausible action and outline characterisations.
We're in a brand new setting here, there's no Blue Ant or Bridge or even a nod to them, so we're meeting all new characters. And there's a lot of slight variations in recent events described, and claims that the changes are really significant, but that's never properly explored.
The central plot is not new. It's been done several times now and Gibson doesn't really bring anything to it. And some of the writing is a bit clunky, feels like it didn't get enough time with an editor.
Worth buying? Well, to me any Gibson is better than no Gibson, but this is some way from his best and not one to rush out and read.
I've finally finished "Battle Sight Zero" by Gerald Seymour. It's taken me ages to get through it, I really didn't like the writing style, and I don't recall any of his other books being quite so difficult to get through. More of a pity because I bought it as a gift for someone else, who also thought the same.
'A Raw Youth' or 'The Adolescent' by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Translation by Constance Garnet
Published by Limited Editions Club 1974
Stock photo
My copy
As may be observed from the second photo, lying between 'The Possessed' and 'The House of the Dead', I have been fortunate enough to have acquired a pristine, 'unopened' and unread edition with the volumes still in their original wrappings.
To preserve them, I elected to purchase a copy published by Amazon for reading. A mistake.
514 pages reduced to 311 (in a smaller format) makes for a very small font and tightly spaced text.
An absolute PITA to read. By comparison, I read 1200 pages of 'The Gulag Archipelago' in a similar period of time.
Additionally, there were numerous mistakes in the text and a complete lack of page numbering. How cheap can you get Amazon?
As for the the novel.
This one was unique, in my experience of reading Dostoevsky, in that I never really got properly involved in the tale. Possibly because I found the narrator/protagonist so very annoying. (Yes; this was very much the intent of the novel.)
I found him impossible to empathise with for the most part, perhaps because I am now too far distant from the age group (20/21) or because it resonated too strongly with my own youthful ignorance and stupidity.
I remain certain however that, had I read this at age 25, I would have found the little s
t equally annoying, though this does not convince me that my second proposition is necessarily entirely true either 
Nonetheless, there are passages of prescient genius contained within the story.
As with many of Dostoevsky's works there is a strong theme of the old Russia versus 'new' Russia, his concerns for the modern tendency towards nihilism and, the abandonment of traditional morals and values.
It does however lack the deep tragedy so often associated with other of his works.
There are of course many opinions on this novel available with a bit of googling, many of which give further (and better) insight into the novel, not to mention an academic work of some 540 pages by Victor Terras and Edward Wasiolek (readily available second hand and not to be confused with the novel itself).
In short, this is probably one for the Dostoevsky scholars and enthusiasts rather than the casual reader.
Translation by Constance Garnet
Published by Limited Editions Club 1974
Stock photo
My copy
As may be observed from the second photo, lying between 'The Possessed' and 'The House of the Dead', I have been fortunate enough to have acquired a pristine, 'unopened' and unread edition with the volumes still in their original wrappings.
To preserve them, I elected to purchase a copy published by Amazon for reading. A mistake.
514 pages reduced to 311 (in a smaller format) makes for a very small font and tightly spaced text.
An absolute PITA to read. By comparison, I read 1200 pages of 'The Gulag Archipelago' in a similar period of time.
Additionally, there were numerous mistakes in the text and a complete lack of page numbering. How cheap can you get Amazon?
As for the the novel.
This one was unique, in my experience of reading Dostoevsky, in that I never really got properly involved in the tale. Possibly because I found the narrator/protagonist so very annoying. (Yes; this was very much the intent of the novel.)
I found him impossible to empathise with for the most part, perhaps because I am now too far distant from the age group (20/21) or because it resonated too strongly with my own youthful ignorance and stupidity.
I remain certain however that, had I read this at age 25, I would have found the little s
t equally annoying, though this does not convince me that my second proposition is necessarily entirely true either Nonetheless, there are passages of prescient genius contained within the story.
As with many of Dostoevsky's works there is a strong theme of the old Russia versus 'new' Russia, his concerns for the modern tendency towards nihilism and, the abandonment of traditional morals and values.
It does however lack the deep tragedy so often associated with other of his works.
There are of course many opinions on this novel available with a bit of googling, many of which give further (and better) insight into the novel, not to mention an academic work of some 540 pages by Victor Terras and Edward Wasiolek (readily available second hand and not to be confused with the novel itself).
In short, this is probably one for the Dostoevsky scholars and enthusiasts rather than the casual reader.
I’ve just finished The Second Sleep by Robert Harris. The premise is good and I enjoyed the first 75%.
However, I felt that as the number of pages I had left to read became fewer, there was a lot of plot left to cover. And my fears were realised. The ending was abrupt and unsatisfying.
2 out of 5.
However, I felt that as the number of pages I had left to read became fewer, there was a lot of plot left to cover. And my fears were realised. The ending was abrupt and unsatisfying.
2 out of 5.
Steve vRS said:
I’ve just finished The Second Sleep by Robert Harris. The premise is good and I enjoyed the first 75%.
However, I felt that as the number of pages I had left to read became fewer, there was a lot of plot left to cover. And my fears were realised. The ending was abrupt and unsatisfying.
2 out of 5.
Agreed. I did the exact same thing. Got over halfway, considered the plot, and realised it was gonna end up a rush job.However, I felt that as the number of pages I had left to read became fewer, there was a lot of plot left to cover. And my fears were realised. The ending was abrupt and unsatisfying.
2 out of 5.
It did.
Very annoying.
Steve vRS said:
I’ve just finished The Second Sleep by Robert Harris. The premise is good and I enjoyed the first 75%.
However, I felt that as the number of pages I had left to read became fewer, there was a lot of plot left to cover. And my fears were realised. The ending was abrupt and unsatisfying.
2 out of 5.
Agreed, but I'd give 3/5.However, I felt that as the number of pages I had left to read became fewer, there was a lot of plot left to cover. And my fears were realised. The ending was abrupt and unsatisfying.
2 out of 5.
I’m ready a history book that’s the most depressing horror story I’ve ever read. It is ghastly. It is haunting.
Savage Continent by Keith Lowe.
I love history books. I’ve read a fair bit on the immediate post war history of the UK, but very little on that of the European mainland. This book covers the immediate aftermath. It is something of an untold story, or at least not mentioned.
The book is scary. I stopped reading it twice, not because it is written poorly. In fact, it is just the opposite. Lowe sort of chats to you, and his matter of fact style makes it worse. It just got too much. Then it drew me back, only to be appalled again.
I had no idea what went on. I knew there was some retribution handed out to collaborators. I’d seen film of a few bodies and young women with their heads being shaved. But this goes deeper. The figures are just that; figures. If you thought 100 dead was bad, then 500 is just a bit worse. But the book highlights the hundreds of thousands who were killed, maimed, died, displaced, lost. And it has, largely, been ignored.
I recently read of the ‘missing’ in the years of Franco, and the way the government have sort of covered it up, making it an offence to mention it. He was nothing compared to what went on.
Want to sober up, for days? Then Savage Continent does it for you.
Savage Continent by Keith Lowe.
I love history books. I’ve read a fair bit on the immediate post war history of the UK, but very little on that of the European mainland. This book covers the immediate aftermath. It is something of an untold story, or at least not mentioned.
The book is scary. I stopped reading it twice, not because it is written poorly. In fact, it is just the opposite. Lowe sort of chats to you, and his matter of fact style makes it worse. It just got too much. Then it drew me back, only to be appalled again.
I had no idea what went on. I knew there was some retribution handed out to collaborators. I’d seen film of a few bodies and young women with their heads being shaved. But this goes deeper. The figures are just that; figures. If you thought 100 dead was bad, then 500 is just a bit worse. But the book highlights the hundreds of thousands who were killed, maimed, died, displaced, lost. And it has, largely, been ignored.
I recently read of the ‘missing’ in the years of Franco, and the way the government have sort of covered it up, making it an offence to mention it. He was nothing compared to what went on.
Want to sober up, for days? Then Savage Continent does it for you.
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