Books - What are you reading?
Discussion
Just finished this:
The hero (?) is Bob Hoon, ex services, a disgraced ex-copper, a barely-functioning alcoholic, and a borderline psychopath, but Bob Hoon still believes in justice. He swears like a trooper, is very violent, but I like him! The book is a spinoff from the DCI Jack Logan series of books by the same author, all of which I can highly recommend. My wife loves them as well.
And what PHr wouldn't like a character called Hoon?
The hero (?) is Bob Hoon, ex services, a disgraced ex-copper, a barely-functioning alcoholic, and a borderline psychopath, but Bob Hoon still believes in justice. He swears like a trooper, is very violent, but I like him! The book is a spinoff from the DCI Jack Logan series of books by the same author, all of which I can highly recommend. My wife loves them as well.
And what PHr wouldn't like a character called Hoon?
Very much enjoying On Her Majesty’s Nuclear Service by Eric Thompson though he does seem somewhat indiscreet at times:
It’s an enjoyable counterpoint to The Silent Deep which I read a few months ago. OHMNS is quite chatty, more a series of vignettes from personal experience whereas The Silent Deep is a lengthy, quite intellectual retelling and analysis of the postwar submarine service and wider situation.
It’s an enjoyable counterpoint to The Silent Deep which I read a few months ago. OHMNS is quite chatty, more a series of vignettes from personal experience whereas The Silent Deep is a lengthy, quite intellectual retelling and analysis of the postwar submarine service and wider situation.
matchmaker said:
Just finished this:
The hero (?) is Bob Hoon, ex services, a disgraced ex-copper, a barely-functioning alcoholic, and a borderline psychopath, but Bob Hoon still believes in justice. He swears like a trooper, is very violent, but I like him! The book is a spinoff from the DCI Jack Logan series of books by the same author, all of which I can highly recommend. My wife loves them as well.
And what PHr wouldn't like a character called Hoon?
Have this... Read al tbe other jd kirk books.. Very funny but good police proceduralsThe hero (?) is Bob Hoon, ex services, a disgraced ex-copper, a barely-functioning alcoholic, and a borderline psychopath, but Bob Hoon still believes in justice. He swears like a trooper, is very violent, but I like him! The book is a spinoff from the DCI Jack Logan series of books by the same author, all of which I can highly recommend. My wife loves them as well.
And what PHr wouldn't like a character called Hoon?
Craig W said:
Added to my basket, thanks for that one!
Are you a history reader generally? I've recently purchased "The Days of the French Revolution" by Christopher Hibbert as I hear it is a good summary of these times. I don't know much about this specifically so looking forward to it.
I read a lot of history. Not exclusively military history but biased towards it. A fair amount of other stuff as well. Thrillers. Some popular science. "Guns Germs and Steel" is a standout there. Are you a history reader generally? I've recently purchased "The Days of the French Revolution" by Christopher Hibbert as I hear it is a good summary of these times. I don't know much about this specifically so looking forward to it.
UK history. Excellent are
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wars-Roses-John-Gillingha...
And the account of Waterloo by Bernard Cornwell.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Waterloo-History-Three-Ar...
DRFC1879 said:
Must be better to listen to than to read. I could've easily given up on it several times but there are very few books I've actually abandoned so I persevered with it!
Yes/No. Not sure the actor reading it is doing full justice to all the characters. Maybe he is and I've just misinterpreted the story!Animal said:
DRFC1879 said:
Must be better to listen to than to read. I could've easily given up on it several times but there are very few books I've actually abandoned so I persevered with it!
Yes/No. Not sure the actor reading it is doing full justice to all the characters. Maybe he is and I've just misinterpreted the story!
Just finished the first Harry Dresden novel and the first Rivers of London novel, as they'd been recommended on here.
First impressions...you could tell the nationality of the authors even if they'd both been set in mongolia.
Harry Dresden is a typical, almost cliche'd, American anti-hero, there is precious little humour (observational or otherwise), and the novel takes itself too seriously. The ending is also rather far-fetched, requiring our eponymous hero into almost James-Bondian levels of physical endurance and ability.
Rivers of London starts off far more British, with an overcurrent of irreverent observational humour and silly similes. Our hero is also an 'everyman' starting out, learning the ropes, and ending up thrown in at the deep end. Where HD has to explicitly tell you he's overmatched, before going along and beating the villain anyway, PG (the hero in RoL) is obviously out of his depth but leverages the support of others into a (pyrrhic?) victory. Far less "America f
k Yeah" 
HD I'd give 5/10 - it's engaging enough but is too lightweight and cliche'd to be worth any more...unless the writing improves dramatically in later novels I'm really not sure why they're rated so highly.
RoL has a more interesting, intelligent and educated/educating storyline and a slightly tongue-in-cheek tone which never makes you feel like you're reading the written equivalent of a Michael Bay film. 8/10
First impressions...you could tell the nationality of the authors even if they'd both been set in mongolia.
Harry Dresden is a typical, almost cliche'd, American anti-hero, there is precious little humour (observational or otherwise), and the novel takes itself too seriously. The ending is also rather far-fetched, requiring our eponymous hero into almost James-Bondian levels of physical endurance and ability.
Rivers of London starts off far more British, with an overcurrent of irreverent observational humour and silly similes. Our hero is also an 'everyman' starting out, learning the ropes, and ending up thrown in at the deep end. Where HD has to explicitly tell you he's overmatched, before going along and beating the villain anyway, PG (the hero in RoL) is obviously out of his depth but leverages the support of others into a (pyrrhic?) victory. Far less "America f
k Yeah" HD I'd give 5/10 - it's engaging enough but is too lightweight and cliche'd to be worth any more...unless the writing improves dramatically in later novels I'm really not sure why they're rated so highly.
RoL has a more interesting, intelligent and educated/educating storyline and a slightly tongue-in-cheek tone which never makes you feel like you're reading the written equivalent of a Michael Bay film. 8/10
I've just finished "Recursion" by Blake Crouch. A researcher invents a machine that will record memories, and then play them back, hoping to help her mother who is starting to lose her memory due to illness. The machine starts to get used to transport to previous memories in alternate timelines and realities and in all honesty the plot started to lose me a bit towards the end - it's not a book to read a couple of chapters after coming back from the pub. Decent enough, I made it to the end, but I probably prefer "normal" fiction.
havoc said:
Just finished the first Harry Dresden novel and the first Rivers of London novel, as they'd been recommended on here.
First impressions...you could tell the nationality of the authors even if they'd both been set in mongolia.
Harry Dresden is a typical, almost cliche'd, American anti-hero, there is precious little humour (observational or otherwise), and the novel takes itself too seriously. The ending is also rather far-fetched, requiring our eponymous hero into almost James-Bondian levels of physical endurance and ability.
Rivers of London starts off far more British, with an overcurrent of irreverent observational humour and silly similes. Our hero is also an 'everyman' starting out, learning the ropes, and ending up thrown in at the deep end. Where HD has to explicitly tell you he's overmatched, before going along and beating the villain anyway, PG (the hero in RoL) is obviously out of his depth but leverages the support of others into a (pyrrhic?) victory. Far less "America fk Yeah"
HD I'd give 5/10 - it's engaging enough but is too lightweight and cliche'd to be worth any more...unless the writing improves dramatically in later novels I'm really not sure why they're rated so highly.
RoL has a more interesting, intelligent and educated/educating storyline and a slightly tongue-in-cheek tone which never makes you feel like you're reading the written equivalent of a Michael Bay film. 8/10
I was one of those who recommended TDF.First impressions...you could tell the nationality of the authors even if they'd both been set in mongolia.
Harry Dresden is a typical, almost cliche'd, American anti-hero, there is precious little humour (observational or otherwise), and the novel takes itself too seriously. The ending is also rather far-fetched, requiring our eponymous hero into almost James-Bondian levels of physical endurance and ability.
Rivers of London starts off far more British, with an overcurrent of irreverent observational humour and silly similes. Our hero is also an 'everyman' starting out, learning the ropes, and ending up thrown in at the deep end. Where HD has to explicitly tell you he's overmatched, before going along and beating the villain anyway, PG (the hero in RoL) is obviously out of his depth but leverages the support of others into a (pyrrhic?) victory. Far less "America f
k Yeah" HD I'd give 5/10 - it's engaging enough but is too lightweight and cliche'd to be worth any more...unless the writing improves dramatically in later novels I'm really not sure why they're rated so highly.
RoL has a more interesting, intelligent and educated/educating storyline and a slightly tongue-in-cheek tone which never makes you feel like you're reading the written equivalent of a Michael Bay film. 8/10
The first thing I would say is that in terms of character development, storyline and actual writing quality, the first Dresden Files book makes a bad impression.
Both Butcher and Dresden mature hugely from the third book onwards.
I too, am a big Rivers Of London fan, but I genuinely think I'd struggle to choose a favourite between that and the Dresden Files.
Possibly ROL, but ask me again tomorrow...
In summary, I'd say don't judge either Dresden or Butcher on the basis of the first book.
Just going through the entire Mick Herron Slough House spy books. For some reason had never some across him.
Bracing stuff with the most politically incorrect central character I have come across in years...drinks at his desk, doesn't wash, is sexist, racist,xenophobic, a glutton, sarcastic but brilliant.
Great dialogue, best to read them in order.
Bracing stuff with the most politically incorrect central character I have come across in years...drinks at his desk, doesn't wash, is sexist, racist,xenophobic, a glutton, sarcastic but brilliant.
Great dialogue, best to read them in order.
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